DON2:REVIEWS pg 9(TOI) - Page 16

Don 2, for all intents and purposes is an important film for Shah Rukh Khan especially after the flak he received for Ra.One and all its overkill and hype. The first Don, released in 2006 was a remake of an Amitabh Bachchan classic of the same name with a slight twist at the end, and its sequel moves the story forward.

Don 2 takes place approximately five years after the first one with the ruthless Don (Khan) still at large and on every wanted list across the globe. Inexplicably, he surrenders himself to Interpol officers Roma (Priyanka Chopra), Malik (Om Puri) and the authorities in Kuala Lumpur in the hope of gaining immunity from criminal prosecution in exchange for information on all his contacts and illegal activity.

Once inside prison, he befriends his archenemy Vardhaan (Boman Irani) and escapes with him to carry out a cunning plan that will bring Europe to it's knees and obviously earn him wades of cash in the process. He enlists the help of his loyal moll (Lara Dutta) and an ex-hacker (Kunal Kapoor) to bring his ambitious plan to fruition. The rest of the plot deals with the obstacles he faces with Roma, Malik and the European authorities hot on his heels.

Don 2 is a genre that has rarely been successfully implemented in Bollywood. It's slick, explosive and finely crafted with action sequences hardly ever seen before on the Indian screen. Sure it is along the lines of The Bourne Identity and Mission Impossible series in some respects. but in its entirety it's a completely original product. Technically, the film is awesome with a special mention to Jason West for his outstanding cinematography.

Farhan Akhtar, who returns to direction after nearly five years displays a solid grasp of the subject at hand never once digressing from the unfolding plot with unnecessary toilet humour or unwanted songs (in fact there's just one song in the whole film which is entirely situational!).

All the characters are strong and believable and the best part is none of the protagonists or antagonists are entirely black or white. They're all grey, which make them relatable on some level. What's more the film ties in well with the first part (and I'd definitely recommend you watch it first as there are quite a few references to it), making it a proper sequel, and not really a standalone film like say Dhoom 2 or Murder 2. And, it's one of those rare sequels that's better than its predecessor in almost every respect.

The action sequences are mind blowing and don't come across as fake or forced into the plot – and thankfully we're spared ridiculous situations where the hero's shirt rips open and he goes on a killing rampage. The 3D compliments the film too and is impressively done for an Indian film.

Shah Rukh Khan is in fine form as the wily Don and makes a fabulous villain. His wit and one-liners are deliciously wicked and he makes a dark character extremely likeable with his convincing portrayal. Priyanka Chopra is good in whatever little she has to do and kicks some serious butt in the climax, but she should have been given more footage given her equation with the lead character. Her relationship and flirtatious interactions with Don though, are interesting and her chemistry with Shah Rukh is quite electric. Boman Irani is a class apart and stands tall as Vardhaan – in fact it'd be safe to say that the film rests entirely on his and Shah Rukh's shoulders. Om Puri is adequate as Malik and Lara Dutta and Kunal Kapoor are just about okay. Saahil Shroff is handsome but his act isn't really anything to write home about. By now, the cat's already out of the bag, and yes, Hrithik Roshan does indeed have a cameo in the film. He is dapper and dashing as usual, but his appearance isn't entirely justified and nor is he properly utilized, which is about the only minor hitch with Don 2. His character doesn't really interrupt the flow of the plot in any way though so that's a bonus.

All in all Don 2 is a smashing finale to an already interesting line up of films released this year. It's a slickly edited, edge of the seat, cool, sassy and well made product with a gripping plot to boot. Here's hoping they decide to make a third installment as there's definitely potential to explore more of Don's wicked antics, watch him outwit the good guys again and recite his by now (in)famous line 'Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi…'

Our Rating:  

Review: Don 2 has no edge-of-the-seat moments

For an action film with the central plot setting us up for a robbery inside a major bank, Don 2's pacing is very slow, writes Aseem Chhabra.

In his new film Don 2 director Farhan Akhtar [ Images ] takes his time introducing us to his lead, played by Shahrukh Khan [ Images ]. We get a whiff of Khan, a slight sense of his presence, with close shots and shaky hand held camera. There we see his arm, part of his unshaven face, his dark glasses.  As he travels up a meandering river in Thailand, we notice Khan's rather odd looking long hair (a wig, of course), with dreadlocks.  And there is cigarette smoke rolling around his face in slow motion. It is all very sexy and so cool!

Through most of the film Khan is very cool. He often has a twinkle in his eye, a slight mischievous smile, as he speaks dialogues like "Touch" and "Kya karen sweetheart, we are everywhere" (in response to Lara Dutta's [ Images ] startled look on hearing that an Indian is a vice president of a major German bank).  Then there are the Don-isms (Don Says) where he speaks in third person spouting statements like "Don ko pakadna mushqil hee nahih, namumkin hai," and "Don apne doston ka haal puche na puche, apne dushmon ki khabar hamesha rakhta hai."

He walks with a swagger, whether in a Malaysian prison wearing an orange jump suit, or on the dance floor with Dutta. There is a rhythm in his body, as he sways his shoulders and his arms walking up in the Zara Dil Ko Thaam Lo song sequence.

And then how can one forget when Khan strikes the ultimate pose -- the camera captures him at an angle, as he slightly tilts his back, with his arms open sideways. It is King Khan's [ Images ] signature attempt to remind us that he is the master of the universe.  At least his fans believe that.

A lot of Akhtar's new film is full of such cool elements with sequences set in sumptuous foreign locations -- the French Riviera, the jungles of Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, Zurich and finally Berlin. Don 2 is beautifully shot, well lit and has a very clean look, whether on the streets of Berlin or inside the studio, thanks to Akhtar's terrific cinematographer Jason West.

But then, as with many good intentioned, and technically well crafted Bollywood films, Don 2, fails in the key test. Akhtar is definitely one of the smartest filmmakers in Bollywood, but this time he presents us a story, plot and script that is dull, almost boring. When we are not seeing Khan's swagger, or hearing the hip upbeat background score by Shankar Ehsaan Loy [ Images ], Don 2 starts to lose steam. 

Part of the problem is that despite its action segments, Don 2 is also a Bollywood film and so romance has to be a part of the plot. Towards the end of the film while bullets are flying everywhere, there is an unexpected, almost forced and laughable romantic moment between Khan and his co-star Priyanka Chopra [ Images ]. Everything pauses for the stars to look into each other eyes.

For an action film with the central plot setting us up for a robbery inside a major bank, the film's pacing is very slow.  Coupled with that, the script explains everything to us step-by-step. And if anyone was paying attention, following the convoluted plot where Don always manages to sweet charm the morons at Interpol, in the last five minutes Akhtar sums up the film with a quick recap, revealing many more details that were never shown to us before.  It is an old fashioned gimmick to make the audience say "Wow, we were fooled!"

For a suspense thriller, Don 2 has no edge-of-the-seat moments, despite a decent car chase sequence and a scene when Don jumps off a tall building in Berlin. One big problem is the timing of Don 2's release. Akhtar and his producing partner Ritesh Sidhwani (Khan and his wife Gauri are also listed as producers of the film) chose to release the film during Christmas weekend.  It is too bad that just a week before that, Tom Cruise [ Images ] released his mega-budget action film of the season Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol (MI4). It is may be wrong to compare the two films, but watching MI4, I had to remind myself to breath. As I sat through Don 2 -- a wannabe MI4, I was breathing too heavily, frustrated at the slow moving film.

Khan's charming presence aside, Don 2 is packed with uninspired performances by a large supporting cast. First in the line-up is Chopra as Roma, an Interpol officer located in Kuala Lumpur. She is attractive looking, with her big pouting lips, but most of the time Chopra acts like a school girl putting her hands on her forehead in exasperation saying "Damn it," or a character out of an Enid Blyton book, collecting clues to solve the Mystery of the Missing Don! 

Om Puri [ Images ], who once was one of the finest actors in India [ Images ], is such a caricature here. He looks tired as Vishal Malik, Chopra's boss at Interpol. Despite his very Leslie Nielsen appearance, he sounds positively silly, saying dialogues with his heavy throaty voice -- "It's over Don," or simply "It's Don" (as he answers a cell phone.)

Boman Irani [ Images ] tries hard to look menacing, and he does partially succeed. Kunal Kapoor [ Images ] appears in the second half of the film as a computer hacker, but he is so sweet and good natured, and has a lovely pregnant German girlfriend. We know that nothing bad will happen to Kapoor's Sameer. Don may be a negative character, but Khan is a Bollywood star. He has to have a heart of gold and he cannot do bad things to good people.

Rediff Rating: