Saw Don after reading the multiple reviews deriding the film. Even my favourite reviewer Raja Sen was not happy with the movie therefore had zero expectations whatsoever with the movie. Fortunately, I had seen the old Don aeons ago and didn’t much remember the old movie. With this background I went to see Don.
Initially somehow I found Sharukh’s acting of Don a bit too comical and fey. I especially could not get over the sight of seeing Sharukh’s Don in a pastel pink checked shirt with a pastel beige checked pants. I mean we are all so used to seeing our villians especially the James Bondish ones being so macho that it was initially difficult for me to digest a Don who seemed more suited to the Will & Grace series. But as the movie progressed Sharukh’s Don somehow became more and more acceptable.
The story with its twists and turns was very engrossing. The heroines had more spunk than the men in the movie. The actions sequences were very well executed and the ending was just Purrfect.
I’ve never had so much fun watching a movie before. In between the movie does tend to drag a bit but still this is by far one of the more entertaining movies to come out of Bollywood this year. The movie looked and felt very sleek and more importantly there was a lot of clever humour throughout the movie.
Sharukh proves why he is a Star with this movie. He engages you throughout the movie so effortlessly that one actually gets bored when he is not on the screen. He is extremely charismatic and only he could have carried this movie.
Priyanka Chopra is very very good as Roma. Her action sequences were very good. Only wish she had more action sequences in the movie. Kareena Kapoor in her short role was scintillating. Isha Khoppikar proved to be a damp sqib. Boman Irani was good. Arjun rampal was good but boring. Om Puri was wasted as was chunkey pandey. Would have liked to see more of chunkey pandey as he looked quite evil.
Farhan Akhtar seemed to have fun making the movie and it shows. The movie never takes itself too seriously and in true James Bond and MI style gives us improbable sequences and twists. The songs felt a bit jarring initially but later added to the campy fun.
All in all a very good entertainer and the end leaves us wishing for a sequel or to be more precise a prequel a la Kill Bill which can show us how Don becomes "the Don".