Don 2

When Farhan Akhtars Don released in 2006, I never thought he (or SRK) would pull off a character made so iconic by Amitabh Bachchan in the original... read more

When Farhan Akhtars Don released in 2006, I never thought he (or SRK) would pull off a character made so iconic by Amitabh Bachchan in the original, but they succeeded. Now the ace director returns with a sequel to his 2006 hit, this time with a thrilling caper set in Berlin. While the trailer looks exciting, is the final product SRKs answer to his detractors after the Ra-One debacle?

Scintillating, Slick & enjoyably filmi, King Khan shows how its done as he bounces back with a devilishly sinister avatar, one thats just so much fun to watch.

Starting off in Malaysia, the film begins with a riveting action sequence and an arrest. A prisonbreak chapter follows post which the story moves to Europe. The Don returns for a new job, a heist in Germany for which he brings Vardhaan(Boman) & Sameer(Kunal K) on board. With Malik(Om P) & Roma(Priyanka) close at his heels, does he manage to pull off another one of his elaborate crimes?

The film starts off with a bang and his entry sequence is unmissable. He mouths entertaining one-liners and has all the guns and action in tow. At 2hrs20min the film is probably off by 5-10 minutes, but works. The first half moves at a rapid pace while the second feels a tad bit longer. The suspense is not the best & the climax a bit off.

The action sequences by Matthias Barsch are truly upto international standards. From car chases & hand-to-hand combats, to gun-fights & explosions the film has it all. The cinematography by Jason West lends it an almost Bourne-like feel which is brilliant.

Though the soundtrack by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is mediocre, theres only 1 song in the whole film, a first for a commercial Bollywood film and commendable for being true to the kind of film it is. Though an inclusion of a song in the 2nd half is something I would have loved and felt was much needed.

Shahrukh Khan makes being evil so cool that you cant help but enjoy his mesmeric performance. While some might even hate his overtly cocky act, I enjoyed it thoroughly, my only complaint being I didnt get enough of him talking through the film. The Donisms used in the promos were very well written but sadly not part of the film.
Off the rest,Nawab Shah is first rate, Boman & Kunal are great & Priyanka strictly ok.

Director Farhan Akhtar continues his 100% track record and in my view is the top superstar of the director brigade. Being inherently filmi, yet so stylized, he manages to marry old school Bollywood with new age filmmaking with panache and can safely be called as the most dependable out there.

While I preferred the first part, this one too is right up there as it shows us that we can be Bollywood & Hollywood at the same time.
In todays day where trends show the return of 70s style cinema, we have one who does it with modern sensibilities. Watch out for a subtle plug at the end as one waits for the 3rd instalment.
Yes, the King is Back to enthral you in all his villainous glory!
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By popular demand, Farhan Akhtar decided to make a sequel to his remake of the original Don. Don 2 is a leaner, meaner, slicker, sicker sibling of ... read more

By popular demand, Farhan Akhtar decided to make a sequel to his remake of the original Don. Don 2 is a leaner, meaner, slicker, sicker sibling of the first installment. Farhan's writing is crisp and action packed from the start till the end. There is no love angle or bhojpuri comedy angle in this part. One might even say that some action was borrowed from the mission impossible series.

The story continues where it left of, in Malaysia. Don is now the king of Asia's underworld. He is eying Europe, but the goons in Europe are out to kill him. Don goes in survival mode and surrenders himself, only to break Vardhan out of jail. The two then plan a master bank robbery plan which could make them billionaires. Meanwhile Roma has now joined the Interpol and she lands up in Europe chasing Don.
Does Don turn over a new leaf is for you to find out.

The concept of Don being so bad that he is good at it comes off wonderfully well for the movie. The movie is action packed and flows at a brisk pace. If you step out for a couple of minutes you may have lost the continuity. The only comic relief in the movie is provided by Don's one liners. But after a certain extent, the dialogs start feeling like Chuck Norris or Rajnikant jokes.

Music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is moderate at best but fits the movie's theme like a glove. The background score is far superior than the songs themselves.

Shahrukh is very good in the film. He has worked out a little for the movie and that can be seen. He constantly has a frown on his face which gets a little tiring. But overall he had lots of scope to ham but did not. Priyanka is as good as always. She gives it her all. Kunal Kapoor ans Ally Khan are good in their cameos.

For me, the hero of this film is Farhan Akhtar. His writing and direction make the film what it is. Special mention for Ritish Soni and Anand Subaya for their editing skills. Never ever does the pace slow down in the movie. In the end you are left wanting for more and you see Don riding a bike with the license plate reading Don 3. The ending was a bit disappointing. The twist in the end was very predictable and not as shocking as Farhan's earlier installment.

Overall, its one of the best action films in the recent past.

Reasons to watch:
1) Awesome screenplay.
2) SRK
3) Action you can be proud of.

Reasons to skip:
1) Predictable second half.

Rating : 7.4 / 10.0 view less

Don 2 is very slick, very suave and very smooth. So smooth at times that it slides off you like an egg off a Teflon pan leaving you marveling at th... read more

Don 2 is very slick, very suave and very smooth. So smooth at times that it slides off you like an egg off a Teflon pan leaving you marveling at the super high production values but wondering what the fuss is all about.

In this episode ( I am assuming that there will be many more)of the story, Don spirits himself back into jail to free Vardhaan so that they can rob, not just some silly bank but the plates from which the notes are printed so that they can become, as he says, a millionaire. So much for ambition. As usual Inspector Malik and Roma are on his case. There are a couple of other goons and Don is one step ahead of them as he hatches his plans and crosses them and double crosses them etc etc. till he rides off into the sunset on his bike.

SRK in an attempt to be uber cool does not move too many muscles on his face. All his lines are delivered with just a small lopsided grin and a slow drawl in a bass-ish voice. The challenge now lies in getting used to seeing an older SRK on screen with an increasingly androgynous look about his body. The only times he sheds the languid pose is when he is sparring with Priyanka when you can see the sparks flying or when he is really angry. Then you can see shades of the old SRK from Darr and Bazigar in his eyes. Scary. The good part is he delivers some fantastic one liners with such perfect timing that you just have to doff your hat to him. Priyanka as Roma is all bustling professionalism and puts up a good show in the fight sequence. Lara looks good but doesnt have much to do. Boman makes a cool criminal and it was unusual to see him throwing a few punches. Kunal Kapur as the computer nerd is kind of cute and I suspect the sequels will have him in larger roles as Don moves towards retirement.

Yeh Don ko aap ek baar zaroor pakad sakte ho.
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The starting is delightful - the Alpha Male, with long, beaded hair whizzes past a hairpin bend... on a yacht. SRK has never looked this menacing b... read more

The starting is delightful - the Alpha Male, with long, beaded hair whizzes past a hairpin bend... on a yacht. SRK has never looked this menacing before. He walks with a swagger, tucks a tuft of hair behind his ear as it comes in the way before he goes for the Kill. He oozes style, and doesn't want to soil his Whites by kneeling down on his knees. Nobody can resist his charms, least of all Roma Bhagat, a Police Officer who surprisingly still holds her post 5 years after screwing up a major mission.

Cut to 10 minutes later - Don loses his hair, and in an eerie Samson-like manner, lost his powers to enthrall the audience. We slip back into deja-vu, watching yet another bank heist being planned and executed with some mandatory twists and turns. It doesn't matter if the story is not predictable - you actually expect the unpredictability, which means that by the time it ends, you realize you didn't care in the first place.

Don 2 is sleek, stylish and much more Hollywood than Bollywood, but it fails where Don triumphed - an absolutely zany story. The double crosses, the Hero vs the Anti Hero track, the "Ohh F**k !!" kind of climax. And who can forget the beautiful remixes and Kareena Kapoor's dazzling item number. This one has only 2 songs, and the better one comes while you are trying to find your way out of the theater. Priyanka Chopra was acting like a junglee billi in this one, and I was drudging my way to the Exit, half-curious and half-ashamed at taking more time to leave than the others.

When I first got to know that Farhan Akhtar's going for a sequel, I set up extremely high - and perhaps unrealistic expectations. I imagined another star who counters the Don in the climax. Previously it was SRK vs SRK. I could barely hide my excitement when I thought who all they could pit against him. Sadly, no such theatrics. You already know the grind - it's SRK all the way, and somehow he is going to screw everybody he wants to. There are car chases, there's an Ethan Hunt - MI 1 style hang-from-the-ceiling, but strong execution rarely saves a thin storyline.

Go with an open mind for this one, and you will enjoy. Expect the world, and you might be disappointed. Even though the flick does traverse half the world atleast. view less

With Don 2, SRK manages to erase the mediocrity of Ra.One clear. He is the soul of the film which otherwise is too slow and has too little content.... read more

With Don 2, SRK manages to erase the mediocrity of Ra.One clear. He is the soul of the film which otherwise is too slow and has too little content.

Don surrenders, only to run away with his enemy from the previous film Vardhaan, and this time his mission is to loot the DZB in Berlin. In the process, we go through picturesque locales of Tahiland, Berlin and Zurich. Almost every scene of the film unfolds outside India, with Indians conveniently in all the top important positions, including the VP of DZB.

While one can overlook these gaps, the script per se doesn't have much in it to impress. The story line is razor thin, and stretched beyond need, at a pace that is excruciating. There are twists and turns, but none are as surprising as the climatic punch of the previous film. Most of the turns are predictable, and happen so slowly that the impact is lost. Then there are the characterizations. Priyanka as Roma looks lost, and she is, since she doesn't really have anything to do in this film. Her sudden love for Don in the end only seems embarrassing coming from a director like Farhaan.

The film however, is not unwatchable and that is entirely only and only because of SRK. As Don, he is shrewd, evil and calculating, at the same time cool as a cucumber. He overpowers everyone else in the film, with sheer power of his presence and performance. He enjoys being the bad guy and we sure are not complaining. The action sequences are the other amazing part of the film, at par with international standards.

Don 2 is a definite one time watch, but only for those who loved the first SRK starrer Don. For others, the film would be a drag. And do not waste money on the 3D version, there is absolutely nothing that merits sitting through the pain of those 3D glasses in this film.

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