Don (2006)

Now Playing: Don – Aaj ki Raat

When international criminal Don (Shah Rukh Khan) is captured by DCP DeSilva (Boman Irani), the latter decides to use a Don look-a-like, Vijay, to further his investigation into Don’s gang. Throw in a femme fatale or three (Priyanka Chopra, Isha Koppikar & Kareena Kapoor), a revenge-seeking father (Arjun Rampal) and more international criminals and you have a wonderfully convoluted update of the 1978 Amitabh Bachchan starrer.

At the outset, I have to admit I haven’t seen the first movie, so I wasn’t really saddled with expectations. I am however, an unabashed fan of Farhan Akhtar, because it was his Dil Chahta Hai, that raised the bar for Hindi movies in terms of production values and believable plots. Dil Chahta Hai was one of the first movies to eschew the traditional trappings of Bollywood cinema – no more palatial mansions with spiral staircases, garish clothing, backup dancers in coordinated clothing (except for a song that memorably spoofed movie-style through the decades)– and adopt a more simple style that was still unmistakably filmi. The plotline – the adventures and misadventures of three friends – was believable, the songs actually fit into the plot, and the production values were generally higher than most movies of the 80’s and 90’s. I mean, this was still a Bollywood movie – see Hero confront Heroine’s menacing and abusive Fiance! – but it was one that you didn’t feel slightly embarrassed about watching, unlike, say, Hum Aapke Hai Kaun (NB – I was only 10 when I saw that, and clearly not responsibly for my own opinions.) I even liked Lakshya, apart from Preity Zinta’s execrable hairstyle in the 2^nd half. To this day, I think that was one of Hrithik Roshan’s better acting turns, and I think it’s quite sad that two of his better acted movies (the other is Mission Kashmir) were commercial flops.

The one aspect of the 1978 movie I was familiar with was the music: ‘Yeh mera dil pyaar ka deewana’ is one of those quintessentially 70’s bollyfunk anthems, and ‘Khaike paan banaraswala’ is one of my favourite Kishore Kumar songs. Ever listened to the Black-Eyed Peas’ Don’t Phunk With My Heart? That funktastic opening riff is lifted directly off ‘Yeh mera dil.’ The new movie offers updated (read ‘remixed’) versions of these two songs, as well as a new version of ‘Main Hoon Don’ and two new songs, Aaj ki Raat & Mourya Re. Yeh mera dil doesn’t work so well with the new, fast beats, but Khaike paan is transformed into an incredibly danceable number. Of the remaining three songs, Aaj ki Raat is noteable both for being immensely catchy (it’s on loop on my mp3 player as I type this) and for evoking the 70s without being cheesy or kitschy.

As an update of a 1970’s masala action picture, Don succeeds admirably – it’s stylish, fast-paced and very, very fun. The first hour serves as the setup, and is thus necessarily slower than the rest of the movie, which is pretty fast-paced, with twist after twist, with a final twist that had me squealing with delight. It seems to me that Don was a good candidate for a remake – it was a well-liked film, but not a classic (unlike Sholay, the remaking of which is absolute sacrilege) and from reading reviews, its clear the older movie could have done with better production values. Technically, the film passes muster, though I have one quibble with the costume designer: I don’t mind the much-maligned tie-inside-shirt approach, but did you have to put SRK in paisley? It made him look more Bombay Tapori and less International Crime Lord. Also, whoever gets to dress SRK in the rest of his filmi career? Can you ensure he’s always dressed the way he is in Aaj ki Raat? Even if it’s a period picture set in ancient India? *sigh*

Is SRK as good as the Big B? He's brilliant as Don, golf-ball-to-the-head good – and why has it been so long since he played a baddie? His performance as Vijay, however – specifically, the initial bits before the impersonation starts – unmistakeably brings Bachchan Sr to mind, so much so that watching SRK you can almost imagine that were Amitabh saying those lines. SRK may be able to play a bhaiyya, but AB is the real deal, a chora ganga kinarewala, and those lines just don’t sound right from SRK. The rest of the cast acquits themselves well – with Priyanka Chopra actually having something to do, and doing it well, and Arjun Rampal smouldering (need I say it? Hotly.) as a husband and father who’s lost his family. The standout, though, was Boman Irani – I remember turning to my brother at some point in the movie and whispering, “Man, Boman Irani is badass!” He’s usually been one of the high points of any movie he’s been in (see Munnabhai, MBBS, or Lage Raho Munnabhai, or Bluff Master, or Being Cyrus) but here, he’s pretty damn awesome. Watch the scene where DeSilva confronts Singhania in a men’s washroom. Not a word is spoken, but Boman Irani manages to convey first, “Recognize me?” then gloating, and then a cold satisfaction and assurance that his enemy has been taken care of. Like I said – Pretty Damn Awesome. The rest of the movie is not quite upto his level – but it’s still Pretty Damn Cool, and well worth a watch.