5 years later, Farhan Akthar finally returns from his scripting, singing, dancing ventures to doing his what he does best viz. Directing. When Don I released in 2006 as a remake of the Amitabh Bachchan blockbuster of the seventies, there were many cynical eyebrows raised about how Shahrukh could even dare think about stepping into the shoes of that acting institution – “Amitabh Bachchan”. Those doubts were quickly dispelled by the stylized story-telling skills of Farhan Akhtar coupled with the style and swagger of Shahrukh that ensured the new Don franchise becoming one of the coolest movies in the recent times !!!
What Is It About:
Don II takes off from Malaysia where Don (Shahrukh) now controls the entire drug business across Asia while planning to expand into lucrative European markets. This gets him on the hit lists of the European drug bosses while Don very simply turns the tables on them by surrendering himself to the Malaysian police lead by Malik (Om Puri) and Roma (Priyanka). In jail, he meets his old enemy Vardhan (Boman Irani), who he had helped put away in Don 1, and convinces him to join hands with him in return for his freedom. The scene shifts to Berlin where Don puts his master- plan in place involving loads of money, people, etc while Roma is hot on his trail. The rest of the movie is about this cat and mouse game between Don and everyone else that leave you guessing till the very end!
What Is Good:
Shahrukh simply rocks in his bad boy act and carries off the character of Don with style. The one-liners, irreverent attitude, the swagger work in his favor. Farhan’s script ensures he get to mouth plenty of catchy one-liners. He looks completely natural whether it’s fighting with Vardhan or flirting with Roma. The rest of cast pitch in with creditable supporting performances esp., from Boman Irani, Priyanka, Lara Dutta and Nawwab Shah. The action sequences, of which there are many across the film, are extremely well- executed and the car-chase sequence on the streets of Berlin is the highlight. The hand-to-hand fight scenes look very realistic and pack a punch. The cinematography by Jason West captures Berlin in its steely blue tones while Asia is shot in warm natural colors.
What Is Bad:
There is not much to write about here. People who go in expecting the quota of five songs might be disappointed since there is only song on screen. Apart from that, the film could have cut down the slightly lengthy second half but then again it does not bore you at any point.
Me Thinks:
Directing a sequel is never easy given the pressures of matching to the novelty of the original and Farhan takes Don 2 to a different level with its background of a crime heist with enough twists and turns in the script to keep you hooked to the proceedings. In addition, Don II has no pressures to live up unlike Don 1 that was benchmarked against the original Don.
Tailpiece:
Like Don 1, this one also leaves you with no doubts about another sequel coming up … hopefully the wait will be shorter this time !!!
AKS
123telugu.com Rating : 3.75/5
Legend: 5 – Flawless
4 – Must Watch
3 – One Time Watch
2 – Wait for the DVD
1 – Stay Away
