Salman Khan saunters onto the screen, pretends to emote, and then bursts into song and dance. Sonam Kapoor is particularly grating – more than ten minutes of her on screen and you might want to look away. Right from Kapoor’s attempts to appear subdued and coy, to the fake waterfall gushing under the palace, “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo” is a spectacle that rings hollow. This is not the Diwali gift you were waiting for.

Despite its flaws, PRDP manages to entertain you. It’s long yes, and most of its story is almost too sentimental. But the it works, especially if you like family dramas with a dash of style and humour. This is definitely worth a watch.

Critics may find holes in the plot, and there are many, yet, what works for the film is Barjatya himself, who unapologetically uses the story’s very simplicity as its biggest advantage.

Not surprisingly, this Barjatya film is as nice, predictable, old fashioned and sweet as a Diwali laddoo. Full of emotionally engaging, PG-rated Prem leela.

Frankly, spending so much time writing such a long review is in itself giving more credit than is due to this half-baked, lifeless, low-IQ film with its juvenile humour and family politics that resembles circumstances in the cheapest saas-bahu soaps now running on Hindi fiction TV.

…will be loved by one section of the audience and will not find favour with youngsters initially, but it will, in the final tally, emerge as a comfortable box-office winner for all concerned. It will do huge business at the ticket windows. Despite its high cost (investment of Fox is to the tune of Rs. 235 crore), profits are assured. In fact, the film may go on to earn very well if the ladies audi­ence patronises it in a big way – which is a very big possibility.

…will not be the best bhai movie you’ll have watched or even the best Rajshri movie for that matter. There are several problems with the movie; whether it is the hackneyed storyline or mediocre performances but you’ll do well to give this a watch because you know like every Rajshri movie, this one has a heart too and it is in the right place.

…an endlessly long saga with a sheesh mahal at the end of a treacherous precipice propped up by illegitimate children, fake football matches and overly made-up actors. You can imagine brides-to-be making mental notes of which lehengas and saris they want copied as they watch this opulent, colour-coordinated costume drama.

Wish the dialogues had a little more punch. Wish Sooraj reflected a little more on the darkness beneath the light but overall it is a family get together that you don’t mind attending in festive mood.

…muddles through its 174 minutes, neither hitting the highs expected from such an expensive and high-profile project nor the lows that plague mid-career filmmakers. Like its intended audience, the movie sticks firmly in the middle.