Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015)
In
a retelling of the classic tale “The Prince and the Pauper,”
average, happy-go-lucky stage actor Prem Dilwale has a dream to someday
meet and woo the princess Maithili, after witnessing her charitable
endeavors once in earlier years. Meanwhile, the somber and doleful
prince of Prem's own land, Vijay Singh, has his coronation coming and
an engagement to that same princess Prem adores, all while dealing
with family turmoil. The prince has 3 half-siblings, one half-brother
and two half-sisters, who want nothing more than the prince's demise
after what they perceived as unjust treatment of their mother from
the queen when they were all children. Just days before his coronation, Vijay is thrown off a
cliff and sent into a coma. What happens when the head of security
catches a glimpse of Prem, the perfect princely doppleganger, at a local market? Will
Prem finally meet his beloved princess and mend the broken ties
between the prince's relations, or will Prem meet the same fate as
the prince?
*This
movie is close to 3 hours long, but the setting and costumes are
absolutely stunning. I even enjoyed the many musical numbers,
possibly because they were shorter than most musical numbers – only
one or two minutes – and spread throughout the film, rather than 10
solid minutes of a dedicated song and dance every few scenes. There
is a scene that shows a defenseless, frail 80-year-old man being
hanged, which is very sad and disturbing, and it doesn't seem like
the villains are punished for their despicable acts. The palace
scenes are gorgeous, though, and it has a decent pace for such a long
film. I'd watch this again, even though there is NO KISSING, but definitely skip the scenes with the
poor guard being killed.*
Here are a couple music videos to watch from the movie - the first one, "Jab Tum Chaho," is the princess replying to Prem what she dislikes about the prince. Basically she calls him out for making the relationship one-sided, with him in charge, always getting his own way. And the way the singer's voice trills is mesmerizing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib75N9WDOd8
The second video, "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" Title Song, is a magnificent culmination of everything this film has to offer: gorgeous sets, intricate dance numbers, and amazing costumes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPk9bSvQQoc
Here are a couple music videos to watch from the movie - the first one, "Jab Tum Chaho," is the princess replying to Prem what she dislikes about the prince. Basically she calls him out for making the relationship one-sided, with him in charge, always getting his own way. And the way the singer's voice trills is mesmerizing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib75N9WDOd8
The second video, "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" Title Song, is a magnificent culmination of everything this film has to offer: gorgeous sets, intricate dance numbers, and amazing costumes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPk9bSvQQoc
