Okay, so I have returned to MS as a reviewer for the first time since LAGE RAHO MUNNA BHAI. And yes, surely the product in question has the power to match. DON: The Chase Begins Again is a movie that has been talked about so much during this last week or so. Why not? The movie has traveled a rollercoaster journey from top to bottom to top again.
Firstly, UTV’s promotion ensured a powerful start in the UK. But then Friday came and with it arrived Taran Adarsh’s review, which surprisingly was quite critical of the movie considering Taran is usually an SRK supporter, even in case of disastrous products like MAIN HOON NA and PAHELI. Many people thought DON failed, but with recent reports that it has overtaken JAAN-E-MANN (much more acclaimed) by leaps and bounds accompanied with today’s headlines (six days 1 million), DON is back on top.
So, is DON worth the hype, especially considering that it’s a remake of a yesteryear’s classic? The answer is a reluctant one, but it is yes. Comparing the two would be unfair since Mr. Bachchan is a timeless legend whose movies back in the day are inimitable. Fortunately, Farhan Akhtar has kept that in mind and has written this role in a way that enables SRK to pull it off very convincingly. More on SRK’s performance later though. Now that the Bachchan vs. SRK comparison has been put aside, let’s focus on the merits of DON.
DON is a movie with amazing action, fantastic locales, outstanding cinematography, commendable music, awesome background score, and the list continues as far as these technicalities are concerned. So where is the drawback or the drawbacks then? I guess the title answers everything. A remake is no novel work and one has to deduct points while grading a director such as Farhan Akhtar who was associated all the time with novelty after his debut film DCH clicked as a unique product. Another major weakness of the movie is the ordinary screenplay, which is unrealistic and tedious at times. That can lead to impatience, but of course in today’s times a ticket is so expensive that exiting the cinema hall isn’t always the best option. Regardless, DON isn’t a movie with too many of these blemishes. It is rather very watchable and if lenient, entertaining at times too due to all the plusses mentioned before.
I won’t tell the story in detail because spoilers can be inevitable and besides, 75 reviews before me might have touched it all somewhere. Let’s just say DON tells the story of an uncatchable criminal (Shahrukh Khan) who is finally caught by an ambitious cop (Boman Irani). The criminal demands death and the cop fulfills his demand. But now to catch his gang and their secrets, the cop has to rely on Don (the criminal)’s duplicate (Vijay), who then continues the thrilling mission smoothly until the cop is killed. No one else knows the secret that Don is Vijay. Vijay is in major trouble and has only two helpers: Jasjit (Arjun Rampal) and Roma (Priyanka Chopra), both of them having their own reasons for being a part of the mission.
It is an interesting storyline nonetheless, regardless of the fact that it’s a remake. One has to consider that with a more high-tech execution, the storyline gets a totally new effect. But I agree with Taran Adarsh in parts that Farhan’s execution fails to do justice to the older version at times. For instance he uses too many characters and some of them do not have detailed introductions. Let’s take the case of Arjun Rampal, whose character suffers due to lack of a good intro. Also, Priyanka’s character works mechanically for the script throughout rather than having any emotional value to it. To top it all, songs are a major hinderance in the second half when the editing was required to be all the more crisp.
However, it is not surprising that with today’s technology, Farhan does camouflage many of the blemishes with the amazing special effects. The older DON set a few trends as far as stunts are concerned, but they stand as more of a joke in today’s times. The new DON offers much more entertaining action as the high-tech sources have been used properly. For instance the chase where Don is eventually killed is extremely thrilling. Ditto for the climax when the protagonist and the antagonist come face to face with the Malaysian skyscrappers as the setting. Moreover, I personally loved the background music as it enhanced the effect of the older version, which too sounded great in its own right.
Performances are of mixed quality. Let’s start with SRK. Many say he has failed to pull it off! I say he has succeeded, and that too big time. SRK required a role where he is not a larger than life emotional savior for the audiences. He required a role that utilizes his ability to pull of the evil parts. DON gives him that opportunity and as the cunning criminal he is very convincing. In the second half too, as Vijay, his performance is commendable as his screen space is reasonable and he doesn’t go over-the-top at any point. So on the whole, this is the kind of performance that is capable of bringing SRK back on the top after he had been typecast in the same dramatic roles for a while!
Priyanka Chopra and Arjun Rampal both suffer poor characterizations. While Priyanka is just average, Rampal does manage to do his part well thanks to some important footage in the second half. Yet, one can’t forget is intro was one of the weakest links as Jasjit just jumps into the screenplay without much said. Kareena Kapoor and Isha Koppikar are effective in their cameos. Om Puri has aged a lot and struggles to live up to his standards on occasions. But it is without doubt Boman Irani who steals the show completely. Trust me, Boman makes DON worthed. His versatility is at display to the fullest here. From the funny doctor (Munnaibhai MBBS) to the shrewd landlord (LRMB) to this really dynamic role, one has to praise the guy’s act. He’s too good here and I repeat, watch DON ASAP just for Boman’s sheer brilliance as a performer!
Overall, DON is a product that rests on its technical merits more than its inspired story and flawed screenplay. But since the movie never promised critical acclaim, no one is to blame. It is vacation period folks so DON is choice for the while. Have fun watching it because before you know, it will be declared a BO Blockbuster too!