Honestly, walking into a theater for a Sooraj Barjatya film is like stepping into a time machine. You know what you’re getting. There will be massive chandeliers, family members playing football in silk sherwanis, and a moral compass so strong it could guide a ship through a hurricane. When the Prem Ratan Dhan Payo film released back in 2015, the hype was almost suffocating. It had been 16 years since Salman Khan and Barjatya worked together. 16 years! People weren't just looking for a movie; they were looking for a piece of their childhood.
The title itself sounds like a mouthful. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo literally translates to "I have found the treasure called love." It's poetic. It's cheesy. It's exactly what Rajshri Productions does best. But beneath the layers of heavy embroidery and the humongous Sheesh Mahal set—which apparently cost a fortune—there’s a weirdly complex story about family resentment that people often overlook.
What Actually Happens in Prem Ratan Dhan Payo?
The plot is basically The Prisoner of Zenda but with more ghee. Salman Khan plays a double role. One is Yuvraj Vijay Singh, a stiff, grumpy prince of Pritampur who survived an assassination attempt. The other is Prem Dilwale, a happy-go-lucky stage actor from Ayodhya who happens to be his exact lookalike.
It's a classic switcheroo.
Prem is brought in to impersonate the Prince while the real one recovers in a hidden bunker (standard Bollywood protocol). But here’s the kicker: Vijay’s family is a total mess. His step-sisters, played by Swara Bhaskar and Aashika Bhatia, hate his guts. His brother, Ajay Singh (Neil Nitin Mukesh), is the one who tried to kill him. Prem, being the "love guru" he is, decides to fix the family instead of just pretending to be royalty.
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The Massive Scale of Production
If you think the movie looks expensive, that's because it was. The budget was somewhere between ₹60 crore and ₹180 crore depending on which trade analyst you ask. They built a Palace of Mirrors (Sheesh Mahal) inspired by the one in Mughal-e-Azam. It was huge. Reports say they used over 100,000 square feet of glass for it.
The filming locations weren't just sets, though. They shot in some spectacular real-world spots:
- Kumbhalgarh Fort in Rajasthan provided that rugged, royal backdrop.
- Gondal, Gujarat, specifically the Orchard Palace and Riverside Palace, gave it that authentic "old world" royalty vibe.
- Huge chunks were also filmed at ND Studios in Karjat, where the more fantastical elements of the palace were constructed.
Why Do People Either Love or Hate This Film?
The Prem Ratan Dhan Payo film is a bit of a Rorschach test for Bollywood fans. If you grew up on Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, you probably found it comforting. If you prefer the gritty, realistic cinema of the 2020s, you might find it unbearable.
The criticism usually hits three points. First, the length. At nearly three hours, it’s a marathon. Second, the "sugary" nature of Prem. He’s almost too good to be true. He’s a guy who donates all his earnings to a charity run by Princess Maithili (Sonam Kapoor). Third, the CGI. That waterfall scene near the mirror palace? Kinda dodgy.
But the fans? They see something else. They see a film that focuses on forgiveness. There’s a scene where Prem gives up the entire royal estate to his sisters just to win their love back. It’s melodramatic, sure. But in a world of cynical "dark" thrillers, there's something weirdly radical about a movie that insists family is more important than a literal kingdom.
The Music That Took Over the Internet
You cannot talk about this movie without the title track. Himesh Reshammiya composed the music, and the title song became a viral sensation long before TikTok was the dominant force it is today.
- Palak Muchhal gave the vocals a specific, innocent quality.
- The signature dance move (the hand-sway) was everywhere.
- T-Series reportedly paid ₹17 crore for the music rights—the highest ever at that time.
Interestingly, Barjatya originally wanted a more traditional composer like Ravindra Jain. It was actually Salman Khan who suggested Himesh. He thought Himesh could bridge the gap between "old school" and "new commercial." Honestly, he wasn't wrong. Even people who hated the movie were humming "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" for months.
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Breaking Down the Box Office Numbers
Regardless of what critics said, the movie was a certified monster at the box office. It opened to roughly ₹40 crore on day one in India.
- Opening Weekend: It crossed ₹100 crore in just three days.
- Worldwide Gross: It eventually raked in over ₹400 crore.
- The Diwali Factor: Releasing during the Festival of Lights was a masterstroke. It's the ultimate "take your grandmother to the movies" flick.
It remains one of Salman Khan's highest-grossing films, though it didn't quite reach the legendary status of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which came out the same year. That’s a tough act to follow. Bajrangi had the soul; PRDP had the spectacle.
The Weird Trivia You Might Have Missed
Sonam Kapoor’s character, Maithili, is actually quite progressive for a Rajshri heroine. She runs an NGO. She’s not just waiting for a husband; she’s actively disappointed in the Prince’s cold behavior. It takes the "fake" Prince (Prem) to actually talk to her like a human being for her to fall in love.
Also, Neil Nitin Mukesh once joked in an interview that the film was like Game of Thrones without the dragons. While that's a massive stretch, the internal family politics—the betrayal, the secret passages, the fight for the throne—definitely had a "royal drama" edge that Barjatya hadn't really explored before. Usually, his villains are just "misunderstood" relatives. Here, they actually try to drop a carriage off a cliff.
How to Revisit the Film Today
If you're planning to watch it again, don't look for realism. That's not the point. Watch it for the color palettes. Watch it for the chemistry between Salman and Anupam Kher, who plays the loyal Diwan Sahab. Their relationship is actually the heart of the movie.
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To get the most out of the Prem Ratan Dhan Payo film, you should:
- Watch the song "Jalte Diye" for the cinematography; the use of thousands of lamps is genuinely beautiful.
- Pay attention to the food. Nobody films a family dinner like Sooraj Barjatya. The song "Aaj Unse Milna Hai" is basically a shopping list of Indian snacks.
- Check out the dubbed versions. The film was released in Tamil and Telugu, which was quite a big deal for a traditional Hindi family drama at the time.
At the end of the day, this movie is a relic of a specific era of Bollywood that's slowly fading away. It's grand, it's unapologetic, and it's deeply rooted in the idea that no matter how much you fight, you should probably go home for dinner. Whether that's "too much" or "just right" depends entirely on how much nostalgia you're carrying in your pocket.
To really dive into the world of Rajshri, your best bet is to watch the "Making Of" documentaries available on YouTube. They show the insane level of detail that went into the costumes and the mirror palace. It makes you appreciate the craft, even if the "Prem" persona feels a bit dated in 2026.