Movie Review: Don - Page 3

eBolly Rating: ****

Director: Farhan Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Isha Koppikar, Arjun Rampal, Boman Irani and Om Puri

Set in Malaysia, this film is surely different from the earlier Don. The earlier Don was picturised in India with a lot of rural elements which was the need when films were being made in the seventies. We don't live in the same India anymore. Amitabh Bachchan is not the king today. King Khan is and anything he does looks fabulous.




Don is no different. But he is bad. Like the bad boy SRK from Anjaam, Darr and Baazigar. If SRK killed Shilpa Shetty in Baazigar to reach his means, Don kills the sexy Kareena Kapoor. You will think he lost it to kill Kareena after making love to her, but she was after his life. He had killed her boyfriend Ramesh – a member of his gang who was trying to quit the job.
So Ramesh's sister Roma (Priyanka Chopra) now joins the Don's gang seeking revenge. Don works for narcotics dealer called Singhania who rules the roost. Singhania has some enemies as well. Don reaches India for a deal and is chased down and captured by a cop D Silva (Boman Irani). Silva then hunts down a look-alike of Don called Vijay (Shah Rukh Khan once more) and plants him in the Don's gang as Don.

Vijay is a guy who plays music on the streets and is also taking care of a kid called Deepu whose parents have gone missing. Vijay tries to ferret information about the Don and gives a diskette containing the details of the entire business to D'Silva.
Unknown to all of them, Jasjit (Arjun Rampal) is after D Silva's life. D Silva arrested Jasjit when the latter tried to do a diamond heist to save his wife and kid. Wife got killed and the kid got lost. No marks for realising that the kid is Deepu.



Now as the twists and the turns on the film increase, the adrenaline rushes. If you have seen the earlier Don, this one will stun you. It is not the same. The rawness of the earlier film is however lost in this stylishly made film by Farhan Akhtar. Don is a brilliant film in that sense.

Shah Rukh Khan proves why he is Bollywood's most bankable actor. Don will do what Kank didn't for sure – make people happy. This film will be a huge hit overseas. Kareena Kapoor is very sexy and you really miss her after she is shot dead by Don. Priyanka Chopra is good and maybe as good as Zeenat Aman too. But Kareena is easily the sexiest chick of the lot even if you add another sexy babe Isha Koppikar to the cast.
The music is not as good as the original but will have an appeal among some people for sure. The direction of the film is superb and goes with new age cinema. The cinematography is brilliant. Watch out for the Shah Rukh Khan scene where he skydives in Malaysia. Surely, you haven't seen something like that in Bollywood before. Enjoy two Shah Rukh Khans for the price of one.
__________________

Don-Public Review 😳

http://ww.smashits.com/video/zoomin/4904/don-public-review.h tml#

Producer: Ritesh Sidhwani / Excel Entertainment
Director: Farhan Akhtar
Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Arjun Rampal, Ishaa Koppikar, Kareena Kapoor, Om Puri, Boman Irani, and Chunky Pandey
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Midival Punditz (Guest)
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Genre: Action
Recommended Audience: Parental Guidance
Film Released on: 20 October 2006

Reviewed by: Shruti Bhasin
Reviewer's Rating: 7.0 / 10

------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------
2006 has been quite the year for movies . . . one trend in particular, sequels, have already proven to be box office hits. In the next year we will be flooded with remakes of old classics and to begin we have the remake of the 1978 Don, which ultimately turned Amitabh Bachchan into the Baadshah of Bollywood. Does King Khan do justice to the role? Luckily, we have Farhan Akhtar at the helm of this venture, whose first two films have proven that he truly comes from a talented family of writers (Honey Irani and Javed Akhtar). Does the young filmmaker succeed in this ambitious remake? Lets take a look . . .
Whether or not you are familiar with the story of Don, one thing is for sure, this film is full of action and many plots and twists (especially the climax that catches you off guard). The Don (Shah Rukh Khan) is part of the drug mafia based in Malaysia and he is a dangerous man that is wanted in several countries; it is truly impossible to catch him. DCP DeSilva (Boman Irani) is on a mission to capture the Don but he seems to be having difficulty. His luck changes when Don is injured one time and then dies. He decides to send in a duplicate to secretly infiltrate the gang (without his department's knowledge). Vijay (the looakalike Don) is sent in with a memory loss and as he slowly gains information, the Don's memory begins to come back.

Within the gang there is also Roma (Priyanka Chopra), who is waiting to kill Don for the murder of her brother and fiancee (Kareena Kapoor). When she learns that he is really Vijay, she helps him to get a valuable disc (with all the mafia's contacts, accounts, etc.) to DeSilva. But unfortunately, DeSilva gets killed and Vijay's identity is buried forever as he cannot prove his innocence.

In the mix, we also have Jasjit (Arjun Rampal) who is searching for his son (whom Vijay took care of while he was in jail for a false robbery charge) and helps him eventually to get the disc. Is Vijay able to prove he is the duplicate by getting the disc to the police? You have to see Don to get the answer.

Word of advice: watch Don as if you have not see the 1978 classic . . . because despite the loopholes in the screenplay, you are entertained by the movie. Shah Rukh Khan infuses life into the Don and is truly a character of many talents, ruthless, and cunning. Tops marks to him for playing the Don and Vijay effortlessly. Priyanka Chopra looks gorgeous throughout the film and does justice to her character Roma, by not going over the top. Boman Irani shows his talent as a serious actor and villain. Pawan Malhotra (as Narang) is fantastic. Unfortunately the rest of the characters are underdeveloped such as Jasjit, Ishaa Kopikkar (playing Anita, Don's girlfriend) and Om Puri (as inspector Malik), who is completely wasted in this lacklustre, miniscule role. At least Kareena Kapoor adds glamour to the 'Yeh Mera Dil' song.


Technically, the film tries to hard to show a few frills, with too many thrills, especially the action scenes, which get exhaustive after several minutes (although the opening sequence in Paris is enthralling). When Farhan Akhtar wrote the script, did he not think that the audience would have several questions after movie ends such as: How does DeSilva know Vijay? How does Vijay learn Don's mannerisms and how does know martial arts? How does Jasjit know to go to Malaysia to search for his son? Wouldn't simpleton Vijay be scared to jump out of a plane?

Even the music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, which is average, seems forced into the movie at periods where a song and dance are unnessary (like Khaike Paan Banaraswala). Out of all the songs, Yeh Mera Dil and Aaj Ki Raat stand out on the screen. The background score is perfect for the theme of the movie.

The Don has a new twist at the end and its truly the best part of the movie, however, would the film have worked if the screenplay stayed true to the original? The answer is yes and no. As mentioned the action scenes take away key questions that are unanswered, which would've made the film a more polished product. At least 15-20 minutes need to be edited out to leave a stronger impact.

Farhan Akhtar is a talented director and manages to 1) get Shah Rukh to play the Don to character and 2) create an original ending that is unpredictable. Unfortunately, he rushes the first half up to the interval and makes the second half tedious upto the climax. Dil Chahta Hai remains his best film to date, but in the next few years, we are sure to see more interesting movies from the young filmmaker.

The Don of the 21st century is stylish with flaws, yet, you do enjoy the experience of watching it in the cinema. So check out Don as a film you've never seen and don't forget the popcorn!!!

TIMES NOW.tv

Don movie review

Film : Don - The chase begins

Cast : Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Isha Koppikar, Arjun Rampal, Boman Irani

Director : Farhan Akhtar.

Rating : *** (Good)

The Don's back - but this time round he is fronting a narcotics trade in Malaysia. He is still killing people without any compunction and he is still prone to rattling off oracular self laudatory lines. But he is meaner and a lot more stylish - and has great technical pizzazz propping him up this time round!

Yes - it is here. Farhan Akhtar's much hyped remake of the seventies Bachchan starrer, Don. And so should we get into those tedious comparisons? Bad idea! The seventies Don was a good entertainer for its time. The 2006 Don is a good entertainer for its time. And that's that! Is Shahrukh as good as Amitabh Bachchan - well, let's just say that the two actors are different - and SRK brings his own interpretation to the Don persona.

It is just the right amount of quietly reined in menace, the right amount of brashness and it is clearly a role that the actor is enjoying as opposed to all those candy floss romances where he is made to fall in love again and again!

That said - the current Don pretty much follows the basic storyline of the old Don. A ruthless don is replaced by his look alike Vijay, a police informer who gives all the inside information on the gang to police officer, DCP D' Silva. Also in the plot, Roma who needs to avenge her brother's death and JJ who has his own agenda to push!

There is a twist - but you need to watch the film to find out what that is - no spoilers here!

Javed Akhtar who had written the original Don with Salim Khan once commented that the original Don's shoestring budget didn't do justice to the script. Well, son Farhan certainly makes up for that - this Don has scale, has style, great stunts, is shot breathtakingly well and it is not a frame to frame copy of the original. Far from it. And that's why it works!

But it is not all good - the first half is sluggish, and retains the pace of the seventies film which is not good news at all. Parts of it would seem simplistic and if you wanted to nitpick, you'd find loop holes in the plot. But if you go with the director's intent to make an escapist entertainer as a homage to the cinema of the seventies, you can indulge him. Watch out for the second half of the film - because that's really where you sit up and take notice of the going on! Of course if you are a purist, who believes the original must not be tampered with - it may not be your cup of tea!

Now for the rest of the cast - Isha & Priyanka look ultra glam, and the latter puts in a self assured performance. Boman Irani is brilliant – he gets better with every film! Kareena doing a Helen needed to have visited the gym before agreeing to jiggle a leg and a lot more and we will leave it at that! And you leave all your comparisons at home and go watch this one!

THE HINDU

DON

(At Delite and other Delhi theatres)

Wow! Shah Rukh Khan is no longer a prisoner of his image. No longer timid, no longer shy. He dares now to step beyond his usual Raj-Rahul act and steps into sacrosanct Bachchan territory. For a few fleeting moments he forgets he is Shah Rukh Khan and embraces the heart, soul and body of the Big B's much talked about Don that the super star played with such nonchalant ease in Chandra Barot's film way back in 1978.

Gone here now is Shah Rukh's hamming spree, gone are the languid ways. Instead there is a swagger in his walk, and some purpose in his talk. And such irrepressible energy! Untamed, unbridled, a one-man army that takes Farhan Akhtar's film to safe waters.

For quite a while here Shah Rukh manages to prove the pundits wrong: yes, he is a star, but he is an actor too. His fan following comes as much from his familiar old charisma as his craft. As Don in this technically savvy, visually enthralling film he packs quite a punch. In some of the scenes he manages the Bachchan part incredibly well; in others he falls short. Notably the "Khaike Paan Banaraswala... ." song where he is a pale shadow of what the Big B achieved some 30 years ago. Or some of the dialogue where his facial expressions, his eyes don't quite have the menace one associates with Bachchan.

These are, however, only some of the stray moments in the film. Otherwise "Don" in its all new avatar is not just a dusting off of the original. The director takes the good old script, borrows a couple of songs, retains most of the characters all right, but also gives new twists and turns. Which means that just when you sit back, happy and comfortable in the knowledge of what's going to happen next, there is a surprise. And that gives this film a new zing, a new chutzpah. Despite being a remake, the director manages to infuse an element of ingenuity, startling all of us.

This con game involving a cocaine trader who kills people like one swats flies in the countryside and flees from the scene faster than the cops reach, has its flaws too. Notably, the girls.

Priyanka Chopra with her stiff waist and less-than-elementary acting skills is no Zeenat Aman. Though she tries hard in the action sequences, this is another listless performance from the girl who failed to sparkle in "Krrish" not long ago too. Then there is Kareena, who tries to do a Helen and learns an important lesson: there was, is, and will be, only one Helen. And Isha Koppikar? Didn't notice her doing anything worthwhile in the film. Maybe she signed it to stave off boredom from underemployment.

Keeping the girls company in the negative section is the film's editing and music. The thriller with all its fast cars, faster guys, bullets and baddies needed tighter editing. As for Shanker-Ehsaan-Loy's music, well, suffice it to say that the good old "Khaike Paan... ." is still more delicious than any of the new stuff they have churned out.

Yes, there are negatives but they don't outweigh the positives. Which means you can go ahead, sit back, watch and enjoy Farhan Akhtar's designer "Don" this Diwali weekend. And maybe come back surprised that Shah Rukh's is not such a pale imitation of Bachchan after all.

I saw Don on DVD last night with my husband becasue I had no intentions of wasting my precious money on watching the film in theatre. My husband started dosing off right in the middle of the movie by the poor treatment of direction. He then suddenly woke up and said that this movie has left such a bad taste on his sensibilities and he wanted to watch the original Don. Then we put on the DVD of the original Don of AB and watched it till 2am till the end. That is the effect that FA's and SRK's Don had on our sensibility. Each and every character in this movie was inferior including Roma, Don, Vijay, to D''Silva, to Kamini. Helen was better than Kareena. Zeenat was far better than Priyanka and all the goondas were better than the non-exisitng lot. Iftikar was stunning as the suave cop D'Silva, a role that was wasted by Boman Irani with his mediocre performance. Comin to SRK, he was not even a patch on AB's towering charismatic personality as Don and a profound actor as Vijay with his mastery of UP dialect. SEL were pathetic as compared to the music provided by Kalyanji Anandji and the singing by Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle and Lata Mageshkar the greatest singers that Indian cinema can claim to have in all times.

That non actor called Arjun Ramphal was trying to fill in the slot of Pran again a total disaster. Comparisons are just inevitable becasue this movie is a total lift off. Had they brought in a fresh script and new dimensions perhaps one would have seen some novelty in it. The original script by Salim Javed was very well written and SRK stampering it with his moronic laughter Huh Huh Ha Ha Ha was quiet ridiculous. His stupid death scene in which Boman Irani easily whacked him off whereas in the original movie AB was classic in his death scene and Don died very gracefully.

Box Office Report-21st October 2006 15.00 IST

Film Week Notes
Don New The film opened to a very good response of 90% but reports are just fair. Surprisingly the smaller centres saw a great opening especially in Haryana and MP. Overall the film will easily get commission tag but a hit status may be hard as reports are not as good as opening.

Well here is another review which is putting a question mark on the director's capabilty and dexterity to handle a script which he had on a platter for the offing.

http://www.fullhyderabad.com/scripts/profiles.php3?section=M ovies&name=Don+-+The+Chase+Begins&ID=4121

Again, the critic praises SRK a lot but not so much the film. I loved the line - "the kid playing Deepu does a better job (than Arjun Rampal)".

Shahrukh Khan has been waiting for this showdown his whole life. Ever since his metamorphosis from the Delhi dude with a cute dimple into "King" Khan, he has been often likened to, and not infrequently compared with, Amitabh Bachchan, and it has always been unfair. These are two different actors doing entirely different roles, after all, they would say.

On the other hand, Khan has been trying to walk the talk for a long time now. He has unknowingly ventured into Bachchan territory with a lot of his non-Rahul performances, and all that preparation has come to a head with this week's release of Don, where he takes a shot at the immortality of the Mujhe Pehchaano feel.

Comparisons will be justifiably, and... ... heatedly, be made all across coffee shops and Internet forums, but no one can take away what Khan has pulled off in this film – this is the first time in many, many years that I have seen him have so much fun.

His glee at playing a role that was immortalized by someone he admittedly idolizes is apparent in his winning portrayal, and the perfect balance of cockiness and awe that he infuses into his performance. The Maurya Re song, essentially this film's Bambai Nagariya moment, has Khan dancing away with unconcealed delight and high-spirited chuckles, and serves as the prime example of the fun he is having throughout. He may have done KANK for his friend, and Hum Hai Lajawaab for his son, but this is totally for himself.

That is not to say that his portrayal as Don is entirely self-indulgent. Quite opposite, in fact, as his performance always tries to balance the awe he has of the 1978 film, and the self-assuredness that comes with being Don. He mouths totemic dialogs like "Mujhe uske jootey pasand nahin they" after killing an informer, and then goes ahead and does something completely Shahrukh.

Indeed, and that is what the first half usually consists of, making the assumption that everyone must have seen the original, and cruising along the linearly strung together sequences from the original, with the brilliance of SRK's portrayal and some deftly-handled action scenes dotting the narrative landscape.

Although the first half leaves room for exposition for people who don't remember the original, there is a certain earnestness in the way the plot is dexterously laid out with sophisticated visuals, plush guns and shiny gadgets, that I wasn't complaining. Instead, I found myself wishing I could whistle in certain moments.

It's the second half that brings with itself the heaviest baggage of all – that of the maverick director trying to surprise the audience with twist after twist. The original Don was a strongly penned film that took pride in the lean, un-melodramatic way it told its story, with rocking music and a straightforward narrative pace that needed no cheap twists to keep itself going.
Farhan's attempt shows his dry hands in the action genre, with the cops and robbers game becoming inundated with too many plot contrivances, and twists that keep on piling up without paying heed to the loopholes they leave in their wake. Worse still, you can see the plot twists coming, and they leave no impact, emotional or otherwise, on the film. They simply exist to pull the wafer-thin plot – now that Farhan has decided to deviate from the original – to its soggy, strangely bookended climax.

Farhan is an intelligent director – the Maurya Re song punctuates the completely de-saturated gangster world the film inhabits, and shows off what I love most about India: the fact that progress or high-tech has not taken a toll on its exuberance, its color, and most importantly its unique celebratory fervor. Coming in the wake of Diwali and Eid as this film does, the whole indulgent Mumbai sequence seems intelligently crafted. The fast-cars-cool-gadgets-dangerous-gangsters-sexy-babes world that the film portrays is slick, and despite the gaudy knock off action sequences from Hollywood, feels harmonious.

What lets the film down is the second half of the film with a silly script, and the director's inability to infuse any real charm in the narrative that keeps getting slower and slower till the end. Even the expository flashbacks tend to go on and on, well after the point has been made. There are some odd moments that have a touch of exquisite finish to them, but remain few and far between. The action film is not what is used to be, folks.

Priyanka Chopra is a surprise package out and out. Zeenat Aman was the embodiment of the term movie magic in the original. She was a Bond girl before the Bond girls could kick ass, and matched Bachchan seeti moment to seeti moment. Priyanka, then, had her work cut out for her filling in the shoes of Roma. Which she gracefully, and winningly does. Matching Zeenat, she brings her own charm and polished, urbane sensibilities to the role, and proves to be the Don girl that the film required.

Boman Irani, after brilliant performances in the past few months, comes up with a cocksure, yet under-developed performance as DCP De Silva. His part in the mentioned twists and turns require him to be alternatively gritty and ruthless. He just appears plain bored. When his moment does come, you have had to stifle quite a few yawns yourself.

Arjun Rampal is not only given the least plausible role – he is a computer network security geek who is made to do a daring cat-burglary on a well protected safe housing diamonds worth Rs. 50 crores – he is given the only emotional angle in the film's proceedings, at which he falters badly. He is good as a menacing dude with a gun in his hand, but the man can't act. The kid playing Deepu does a better job.

If you love the original, this film will break your heart, after giving you enough promise in the beginning. If you haven't seen the original, the film will make sure it confuses you with its undeveloped characters relying on the memory of the 1978 film to do its job. Not to mention that you really should watch the original.

This is not a good start, with the remake frenzy beginning to take feverish proportions.

This is SRK at his most flamboyant and merry yet, and his raw exuberance will carry you through the first half, so a dekko is warranted. Just don't expect this one to be as much of a classic as the original.

I too watched the movie on DVD. I think the actors were okay. THey were never going to be as good as the original but at least it was an honest attempt by all of them except Boman Irani who was pathetic. I wouldn't blame the actors here. I think Farhan Akhtar has palyed with fire and has tampered with a theme and script which he jsut couldn't carry through. The movie is very average. Worth a dekho on DVD but not in cinema and at least don't forget to watch the original Don to gauge the vast differentials.