In an era where Indian cinema was still in its growing years, a powerful man acted in a movie back in 1978. That movie ended up becoming one of Bollywood's all-time greatest in terms of quality and performances. That movie ended up becoming a legend. That man responsible for the title character was Amitabh Bachchan. The movie he enacted the slick and cool charter was DON.
Here we are, almost 30 years later. Amitabh Bachchan has become
the idol of Indian cinema. His movie Don still remains in the hearts of many fans, current actors and top-notch directors. One director, Farhan Aktar, the maker of the silver jubilee hit Dil Chata Hai, has decided to remake the classic. This is one of the first time one of India's all-time... ... 70s hit is becoming transformed into a brand new, start-of-the-arc, gadget-filled, slick remake.The story of the 2006 Don? Almost the same as the classic but with a few twitches here and there. The beginning is almost the same as Don is killed in a car accident but later replaced but a look-alike by the chief of police who has been enacted with ease by Boman Irani in the 2006 Don. Irani finds a replacement one day, trains Vijay, the new to be Don, and guarantees to take care of his personal life by transforming to the new Don. Sharukh, playing a double-role kind of role, does well and finally one day gets in touch of the bad guys through a false setup between the chief of police and the bad guys. From there the game begins, and from there is when Roma, played by the sizzling Priyanka Chopra, comes to play.
The first 30 to 40 minutes of the new Don is similar to the classic. The timing of the songs are there. Instead of the Bombay song in the opening, Vijay sings a different song but in the same background, you know, front of Church Gate of India.
The new Don later sees some twists and turn once Arjun Rampal comes in place. That's when fans will get to see some brand new ORIGINAL screens for the very first time. One key note: in the 1978 Don, there was this girl, Anu, who was told to me Don's girlfriend. Although she had only a few seconds in the first don, Anu, now played by Ishika K., has more presence in the new Don. Her corner stares are amazing. She looks hot!
The outcome of the new Don is the UPS of the film. Instead of the original film where the bad guys are getting caught and going to jail and the Indian police realizing that Don is indeed dead and Vijay is not really Don, the new Don film has a different ending. Do I hear sequel? It's best I don't reveal the conclusion, but I have to admit it's AMAZING and UNPREDICTABLE.
Now the performances.
Sharukh Khan has had an OK year. KANK did well at the box-office, however it was not stated as your typical Yash Chopra classic. Sharukh Khan needed a film where he was the UPS. He needed a film which will run under his shoulder. He needed a character. He needed a quality role. A meaty role. And he got exactly that with Don. Although no where close to how Amitabh portrayed Don in 1978, Sharukh did a good job. His timing and dialogue delivery was first rate. He looked in good shape. The only thing I have to admit is, Sharukh didn't have the toughness look compared to Big B. I think Akshay Kumar or even a calm Sanjay Dutt would've portrayed Don better. Nonetheless, Sharukh is going to drive the A-grade crowd to the cinema hall and his market value is high.
Boman Irani as the chief of police is first rate. I have to say this is the best I've seen Mr. Irani ever. If you think he was good in the two Munnabhai films, watch Don. You will see an evergreen star in the making.
Arjun Rampal looks a bit young for Pran. Surprisingly, he also looks stiff. He voice is always awesome. But he looks too tough for Don. His limping abilities looked fake for most post. I think Nasseriun Shah would've done a better job.
Among the women, Priyanka Chopra and Isha Kopikar stood out. Priyanka did a great job. She had a few stunts here and there – same like Zeenat in the 1978 Don – and she enacted them well. Isha is just a natural beauty with natural talent.
Kareena Kapoor, in a cameo role, goes overboard and looks overweight. Chunky Pandey excels in what is considered a brand new role in the film; his role was never there in the 1978 Don.
Overall, Don the Chase Begins is an exciting film. The stunts are first-rate, the performances by Sharukh and Boman are good and the background music scores high. With Jaan-E-Mann already getting promising reviews left to right, Don will have some serious competition ahead. Don, however, is not an easy film for just anyone to follow. There are a few confusing scenes in the middle, and that's probably the major fallout of the film.
Overall: 3 out of 5 stars
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i love you shah.......
Posted by: milad | August 8, 2007 12:14 AM | Permalink to Comment