Prem in Sooraj Barjatya movies is portrayed as an ideal man for a woman. In Maine Pyar Kiya, he struggles and fights with the world to get his lady love. In Vivah, he marries a woman whose whole body is burnt in fire.
Prem is not a complex character. But one thing which sets him apart is that he's a total female fantasy. He's supposed to appeal to women and not men, which is a rarity in Bollywood. Because even in romance or the rom-com genre, which women are more into, the hero is often created to appeal to the male or at least audience of both genders.
Its a common trope in romcoms or really for the hero and heroine to first clash and hate each other, in which hero often chastises the heroine.
His character isn't rude or condescending, he doesn't insult heroine's intelligence, he doesn't mock her, basically they don't show him overpower the heroine which is done to appeal to the male audience. In Hum Aapke Hain Koun, you see Nisha getting the upper hand in most of their pranks and games, and its still Prem apologizing to Nisha fo no reason. This movie came out in 90s when even harassment was shown as love.
He doesn't just appeal to young girls either, because he's also shown as an ideal son. While Prem in MPK, HAHK and Vivah is for young women, Prem in Hum Saath Saath Hain is more of a family man than a lover boy, where he was more for older woman with his portrayal as the sanskari agyakari beta.
Prem is kind of an unconventional hero. He's not masculine in the most traditional sense, because he doesn't dominate the heroine. Since Bollywood audience is mostly male dominated, similar characters like Prem haven't found success or have became iconic outside of Sooraj Barjatya movies or Salman's portrayal.
P.S. This post hasn't taken Prem from MPKDH into account because that character appealed to whom I don't know.
Bigg Boss 19
Anupamaa
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