Review of Don

Don (I) (2006)
7/10
Forget the critics. Remember the movie.
19 November 2006
I wanted to see Don, not because of SRK but mainly because Farhan Akhtar was directing it. Before I start reviewing Don- The Chase Begins Again, I want to say that I tried my level best not to compare the two movies but unfortunately ended up doing so and what I realized in the process was that although Don is a remake of the original version, they're too very different movies. They're as different as cheese and chalk. So does Don surpass the original? Well, kinda yes and kinda no. Quite frankly, I never felt that the original Don had set any high standards or so because it was funny at times. The entire sequence where Don's associates find out that it is not Don but Vijay and its because of him that they've been arrested, lol, it was funny. I understand that Don was a low budget movie but just like N2D had said, its utterly stupid for anyone to store all the contact information about the Underworld Criminals in one red dairy. A disc in this one.

What Farhan has tried to do with the new Don is make it cooler, sharper and more foxy (yea that's the word). And despite the fact that a talented director like Farhan Akhtar was making this movie, Don does suffer in some departments if you start being logical but not as many if you understand why things are happening the way they're happening and even though Don could've been better, it could have also been worse. The movie starts out brilliantly. Check out the first scene of the movie featuring SRK & Chunkey.

The big question that everyone has been making around is that- Does Shahrukh live upto what Amitabh had done in the original? Well, I'd like to quote Shabani Azmi on this, "Its like you're comparing apple and oranges". Where Amitabh had mastered the art of being Vijay, here it is exactly vice-versa. SRK dons the role of DON with complete brilliance. Excellent is the word. I got to admit that I had my fears if SRK will be able to do justice coz I agree, the actor is one of the best in the industry but hardly does he display it on screen. Fortunately this is one of those movies where he does. SRK looks every bit of the Don that he portrays and once again proves that he is the one of the coolest villains on screen- the man you'd love to hate. I do not wanna get into the debate of how some other actor could've pulled it off better coz well, they're not. Hrithik as Don would've been BAD and I am dead sure about that. My friend said Saif could've played a better Don and I agree on that but well, too bad he's not playing it so the discussion is basically useless and after all that I've seen SRK do with this role, it'll be sad if I thought of any other actor playing the role of "Don" anymore. SRK is the king!

Now that I've spoken about the lows of the movie, its time I told you how I felt after watching the movie. Well, I felt completely taken up by the charm of the movie and if you're willing to forgive Farhan Akhtar for the few mistakes that he's made, Don is a movie you would want to remember. Especially for the action and the performances. Man O Man! If I had to point out 3 main performances that I liked in the movie, it'd be tough but I'd pick SRK, Boman Irani & Arjun Rampal. Of course there are those that are equally marvelous. For example, Pawan Malhotra as Narang is one performance to watch out for. For all those critics out there saying how bad the movie is... here's my opinion about Don- I LOVED THE MOVIE!!

And for all those people going on about how bad Kareena was... well, I can't remember when exactly did Kareena look soooooooo hot as compared to her appearance in Don.

For Priyanka Chopra, this has to be her performance after Aitraaz. She perfectly fits in. I do feel they could have got a better vamp than Isha Koppikar but I doubt if the bigger names would have done a role so small. What I really liked is what Farhan Akhtar has done with Arjun Rampal's Jasjit as compared to Pran's. I did go around saying how Arjun wouldn't be able to live upto Pran's performance but how wrong was I. Post-Moksha, out here Arjun Rampal is in full-form again and after Don, he's the second most coolest character in the movie, loved his performance. Boman Irani, too was excellent. I am glad Om Puri took up the role because if he didn't do it, somebody else would have and I wouldn't have liked it. He has a small role in the movie but an important character and with the likes of Boman, SRK and Pawan Malhotra around, you cannot afford to have bad actors around.

Don is a complete adventurous ride and barring the few little plot holes, its got enough twists, turns, performances, music and action to keep you glued to the screen right from the first frame to the last. At times you do feel that the movie is getting a bit boring or is lacking the pace but otherwise, its great. I did feel Aaj Ki Raat shouldn't have shown SRK dancing with the chicks, didn't make sense but that's my opinion. Don is truly a nice remake. Much better than the so called action flicks like Krrish, Dus or the Sunny Deol films. You'll enjoy watching it.

7/10 from muviegeek.blogspot.com
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