Starring Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Rishi Kapoor, and Amisha Patel. In Hindi with English subtitles. Rated PG.

Bollywood’s newfound love of children’s films continues with Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (Little Love, Little Magic), but only children may find this Hindi Mary Poppins rip-off mildly amusing. As subtle as a sledgehammer, it’s neither lovable nor magical.

Four orphans are ordered by court to live with Ranbeer (Saif Ali Khan), the man who mowed down their parents in a fatal car accident. The kids seek vengeance by turning the affluent life of Ranbeer and his ditzy girlfriend, Mallaika (Amisha Patel), into chaos.

Their ultimate goal is to put their parents’ killer in jail by having Ranbeer break the court-mandated conditions of his freedom, which allowed him to avoid a 20-year jail term. But writer-director Kunal Kohli has other plans, like getting God (Rishi Kapoor) to send a rebellious angel, Geeta (Rani Mukherjee), to Earth to fix this dysfunctional family.

Kohli, who had commercial success with the frothy Hum Tum and the terrorist love story Fanaa, handles his half-baked story with a heavy hand, despite a talented cast. The music is average but the film could have benefited from some big dance numbers. Even the tantalizing poolside party number feels out of place.

Another special effects–laden dance number set in a museum is a prime example of what is wrong with this film. The Night at the Museum–inspired visuals brings dinosaurs and tigers to life, but then Kohli messes it up by transporting the kids and Geeta to Mahatma Gandhi’s historic march to the sea to get sea salt. They also wander into a gun battle between Indian and Pakistani troops that turns into a preachy peace-fest. Thematically, it’s all wrong for this type of children’s fantasy.

This is another disaster from the venerable Yash Raj Films camp, which has lost its golden touch lately with a string of creative and box-office failures.