Incredible performance by SRK. Review on Don: The Chase Begins Again

Farhan Akhtar has induced the right meaning to the character DON which is supposed to be invincible. By not killing the DON. And he has done well to direct a difficult movie.

How do you re-do an Amitabh Bachchan film, especially one as cool and campy as the original 1978 Don, and that, while the Master himself is still alive and romancing 18-year-old heroines?

But wait, only minutes into the movie I realized I had underestimated how much I would enjoy Don - the Chase Begins Again. It’s not a Deep and Meaningful Film, but nor do we expect it to be. It’s one fun ride. And as one friend commented as we left the cinema “You forget you’re watching a Hindi movie

From the opening scene in Paris, a doublecross drug deal with Chunky Pandey (looking very trippy), Shahrukh Khan is clearly not the nice boy we’ve seen in so many earlier movies. Two negative roles in two of the biggest releases in one year. On the brink of 41, perhaps he’s seeking to do new things, or rather, go back to his roots, given that some of his earlier roles were negative (Baazigar and Darr). The interesting thing is, whereas in Kabhi Alvida he was a loose, uncontrolled mess, in Don, SRK reins himself in and behaves like someone driving a Maserati around the hilly twists of Monte Carlo.

(Interesting to note, when SRK is first seen on the screen, we behold only his lips, poised over a cup at a Paris cafe, and just that sight provoked whistles in the theater tonight.)

Visuals are too good. Full marks

Shah Rukh Khan proves why he is Bollywood's most bankable actor. This film will be a huge hit overseas. Kareena Kapoor is very sexy and you really miss her after she is shot dead by Don. Priyanka Chopra is good and maybe as good as Zeenat Aman too. But Kareena is easily the sexiest chick of the lot even if you add another sexy babe Isha Koppikar to the cast.

Featuring Shahrukh Khan in dual roles, the story in the new Don is much the same except for a few twists.

Shahrukh Khan is Don, the notorious criminal wanted by the police in several countries. This ruthless criminal has dropped anchor in Malaysia, from where he carries out his smuggling, drug peddling and other criminal activities

The music is as good as the original and will have an appeal among some people for sure. The direction of the film is superb and goes with new age cinema. The cinematography is brilliant. Watch out for the Shah Rukh Khan scene where he skydives in Malaysia. Surely, you haven't seen something like that in Bollywood before. Enjoy two Shah Rukh Khans for the price of one.

Shahrukh Khan is one of the most electrifying actors in indian cinema.

how does anyone wear so much leather in steamy Malaysia? Vijay appears in a screaming Bruce Lee long-sleeved t-shirt that was quite a howler, and Don himself wears a variety of pairs of sunglasses, most quite cool, but please, there’s one pair that would look much more at home on Karl Lagerfeld’s countenance than that of an underworld kingpin. While called on business to India, Don gets injured and caught, and the storyline follows that of the original, namely that the cops replace him with Vijay, a well-meaning guy struggling to feed and educate a young runaway boy, Deepu, who he’s taken under his wing.

And cue the song I’ve had in my head for the past week at least - Morya Re - which replaces the Bombay Nagariya number that Amitabh did 28 years ago. It’s set during the Ganesh Utsav festival in Bombay and it’s got all the rhythm and exuberance that you expect from a Bollywood movie. Shahrukh in simple jeans, white shirt, Teva-like sandals and a saffron bandana leads the band as he sashays down the road with a float bearing a very large pastel-toned Ganapati toward the sea.

Some love the ultra-violent nature while others loathe see it as the main detraction. Some like the stylistic touches dolloped on by SRK, while others feel it jars with the grittiness of the story. Regardless of where you stand, it is still a memorable viewing experience, and while it may not please everyone, it is engaging enough to garner a reaction in anyone who sees it.

A Sequel is more than welcome......:-)