Everybody told Farhan Akhtar that remaking one of the greatest movies of the previous generation is no easy task. But the old saying goes…'No Risk, No Rewards!' Farhan Akhtar decided to take that risk and the result is what we see today is a modern avatar of Don.
The Story and the Plot: The best thing about this remake is that the characters from the older version haven’t been fiddled much and the story line has been kept as it is for a major part of the movie. However, it is the striking manner in which the locations are chosen, the way the characters are dressed and the use of the latest gizmos on the block which makes this movie entirely differentiate itself from the erstwhile Don.
There are countless scenes in the movie when you unconsciously tend to visualize the corresponding scenes in the older movie, but then those are the only moments when you are made aware of the fact that this is a remake. Else the flow of the story as well as the action sequences keep you guessing all the time and at times make you wonder that Bollywood films have grown and there’s probably hardly anything to differentiate between the Hollywood action movies and the ones being made here. The scene where Priyanka Chopra and her team rescues Don on the highway by crane lifting the entire vehicle onto the flyover as well as the mid-air fight scene with SRK fighting it out for the parachute are really breathtaking as well as nicely done.
There will be a section of the audience who will not be happy with Farhan Akhtar tweaking the original story here and there. But then, the point is that tweaking was very much required to keep the movie interested. Else, who would like to watch a movie where you expect everything and as such does not keep you interested?
Shah Rukh Khan looks as trendy and sleek as he can be with a sleek, snazzy and a flamboyant look. He carries the character of both Don as well as Vijay quite effectively. He keeps the movie alive throughout with his vibrant performance which will silence his critics. And the way he has danced to the tunes of ‘Khai ke Paan Banaraswala’ and ‘Maurya Re’ displays high level of energy which will put even the young actors to shame and definitely no signs of his age.
Boman Irani’s character of D’silva is a noteworthy performance and is a much meatier and active character than the one portrayed in the earlier DON. Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Om Puri do their part quite well, though they do not have much to take home from this movie due to the very short roles played by them.
SRK desperately needed a big success after the ‘not-so-good’ response to KANK (though the movie made tons and tons of money) and hats off to him for reliving the immortal character with success. His performance in this movie is really praiseworthy with his on-screen presence providing enough evidence that he is still peaking up his career and is getting better by the day. No doubt…SRK Ko Harana Mushkil Hi Nahin, Namunkin Hai!!!
Verdict: The movie is a real entertainer (except for a little portion in the first half which goes in establishing the characters and is a bit slow) and you would definitely don’t mind watching it again. The real teaser of the movie comes in the form of an unexpected twist at the movie's end which will keep you fuming on the entire tale of the second half. Obviously, we can’t expect this movie to be another legendary movie like the earlier DON, but this one is of the kind where you go to the theater with a cool head, enjoy your popcorn over the three hours and then come out happy (and probably book tickets for another show).
