Shah Rukh Khan makes Don 2 : Review

Film: Don 2
Director: Farhan Akhtar
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani
Rating: ***

Ever since Farhan Akhtar gave us the delectable Dil Chahta Hai(smartly written, well acted, a trendsetter of sorts), he has failed to better, or even get close to, his debut effort. His production company may have churned out some pretty memorable films since (Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd, Rock On, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara), but his own directorial ventures have been mediocre. Lakshya suffered from a Dil Chahta Hai-wannabe first half fused with a JP Dutta-styled second. Don, the remake of Chandra Barot’s highly enjoyable 1978 caper, with its harebrained finale, was a complete letdown.

Unsatisfying as Akhtar’s Don was, the sequel promos have been promising. And with Akhtar and Co free of the baggage of recreating the original Don, they could take things in a new direction. Which they do. Except, others have trodden this path already.

Like Danny Ocean. And John McClane. In Don 2, Akhtar manages to blend elements from various H’wood films, mostly Ocean’s Eleven and Die Hard, with a bit of Mission Impossible thrown in. This is our answer to Hollywood - a rehash of what they’ve done already. No points for originality.

No points for writing either. If Akhtar’s film lulls you to sleep initially, in spite of some slick editing, it’s because the writing (Akhtar, Ameet Mehta, Amrish Shah) falters. Characters say boring, random things to each other, there’s a pointlessly long dance sequence (Hrithik Roshan, looking dapper in an unintentionally hilarious cameo), and the attempt at dialoguebaazi is laughable (“Jab tak Don ko asliyat ka pata chalega, tab tak Don mar chuka hoga”).

The situations are alarmingly unimaginative. Sample this: Don-ny Ocean (SRK) plans to get out of a high security prison by mixing the food given to prisoners with a liquid that results in mass food poisoning. Johar Mehmood In Hong Kong had a similar sequence where prisoners in a jail are given julab (laxative) on the sly, helping them flee. That was a farcical comedy. Here, it seems like a cop-out.

What keeps Don 2 alive, then, is its pulsating action. It helps the pace quicken as the film progresses, including a thrilling chase sequence and a wonderfully choreographed-and-shot pre-climax sequence. Cinematographer Jason West (Rock On) and stunt director Matthias Barsch enthuse life into proceedings, ensuring that action junkies get their fill.

The film, however, is nothing more than an attempt to cash in; to set opening weekend records. And to provide a vehicle for its lead star to dazzle (so much so, every other actor seems inconsequential). Thankfully, Shah Rukh Khan is in form. The body language is cocky, the attitude flamboyant, and the smirk consistent. In a full-fledged action role, Khan goes the whole hog, pulling off the stunts with panache. Only for him, Don 2 is pretty enjoyable.

Sadly, with a director who showed much promise with his first film, Don 2should have been more than just another big-ticket Friday film that rests solely on the shoulders of its lead actor. Anees Bazmee has one of those coming out every few months. Akhtar seems to have found his own money-churning superstar. The filmmaker’s voice, then, has been muted.

Watch Don 2 for some kick-ass action. And Shah Rukh Khan.

Thanks to the faulty promotional strategy, you have already seen some of the visuals and yes, you already know a part of that storyline. Unfortunately, the visuals of the unexpected

twists and turns have been all given out during the promotions.

When Shah Rukh Khan suddenly comes into the police headquarters and surrenders (it’s a big moment, Don is surrendering himself!), you know that now he will go to jail wearing that ‘same’ orange uniform and then escape. The interrogation scenes, the Mercedes blowing up, all the dialogues – they have all been out in the open for a long time. No prizes and no guessing there.

So, the sequences that could have put you on the edge of the seat actually don’t thrill you at all. The promotion of Don2 couldhave been much well planned where you don’t give out the storyline and keep the unexpected visuals a ‘secret’.

Also, another point must be made here – this film is all about Shah Rukh Khan. He is there in almost all the frames. He is there everywhere! He has already accepted that he is great salesman and in the first half of the film you will see him marketing Don2 -- Don isgreat, Don cannot be caught, Don is one notch less than superman…blah, blah, blah. Thankfully, there are times when he shuts his marketing campaign and gets on with the film. And we will now ignore the thousands of marketing adjectives used to describe the superhuman Don and get on with the film.

The first half is as something that you have already visualized – everybody tries to catch Don and he outsmarts everybody. The film progresses in a linear fashion till Don decides to surrender himself to the police. Now, thanks to the visuals you already know that Don will go to jail, get interrogated by Om Puri (where he says

‘Aaj Meri Maa Kitna Khush Hoti’ and ‘Aap Meri Maa Ko Nahi Jaante’), sent to jail where he will meet Boman Irani (who says ‘Welcome to Hell, Don’). So, the film begins for you when Don escapes out of jail.

The film gathers some pace as Don teams up with Boman Irani for a daring bank heist. He blackmails, threatens and hatches a perfect plot for the perfect crime. From the time on he starts executing his perfect plot, the film gets more interesting. The build-up to the climax is good.

About the other actors – Lara Dutta looks good, Priyanka Chopra looks good, Kunal Kapoor looks good and everybody else in the film looks good except for Boman Irani who has got the chance to do some acting as well. There is also a surprise moment with Hrithik Roshan. Shah Rukh and Hrithik don't even have one body part similar to each other but yet he turns into him and vice versa. Don’t try to think a lot about the scene because if you try to, you won’t enjoy the film.