Don 2 (2011)

 

Directed By - Farhan Akhtar

Starring - Shahrukh Khan, Boman Irani, Kunal kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Om Puri, Nawwab Shah, Aly Khan 

In one of the scenes in the much awaited sequel. Don in the disguise of Hrithik Roshan (in a cameo) dances with his arch nemesis Roma (Chopra) out of pure indulgence. Although the film tries to pass off the 6 foot tall star as the roughly 5 ft 10 inch superstar, it can easily be called one of the most intense scenes in the film and who can do that except Farhan Akhtar!.

Don 2 starts off where the earlier film left off and we see that Don (Khan) has become the 'betaaj badshah' of the Asian drug cartel and is looking to expand his empire to Europe. This majorly pisses off his European counterparts who formulate the plan to kill him. In an amazingly orchestrated entry scene Don is seen fighting off the henchmen sent to kill him in Malaysia. He gives himself up to the Interpol in a bid to save his life and demands Immunity in return for giving valuable information about the drug underworld. But in reality his plan is to get into the prison free Vardhan(Irani) who has in his possession a key to a swiss bank locker. The information stored helps Don and his unlikely ally Vardhan to blackmail a Leading Banker (Aly Khan) who in turn will help them execute an elaborate heist. I dont wish to give out any further plot detail not because it holds a brilliant twist but rather so that you can go and enjoy it for yourself.

One of the biggest strengths of the Don 2 is its realistic combat sequences. Whether it is hand to hand or ammunition it is well crafted and the professionalism and slickness of Hollywood technicians shows in every scenes. Another major high of the film is its excellent dialogues (which Akhtar is famous for) the dialogues in turn helps us to further understand Don's twisted mind and self obsession (delivered in an ultra cool fashion by Shah Rukh Khan). the film has its share of major hiccups. The plot is not as exciting as the first film and in the end becomes a lavish heist film which could have been done independently without the characters of Don and Vardhan etc etc.Another major problem with the film is its plot shifts(especially in the penultimate moments where Don joins hands with the police only with a bigger plan in mind) although they are very smart done they are unnecessary. While the first half is tight the second half suffers from slow pace and predictability but is overshadowed by meticulously crafted thrilling action sequences.

Of the cast, Boman Irani is surprisingly the weakest link with an act which over the top to say the least. While his Vardhan is a hot head and brash criminal i am sure there were better ways to potray (because remember Vardhan did show his elusive nature in the first film). Lara Dutta has precious little to do as Don's Moll Ayesha but looks stunning in every film. Om Puri is underused and gets lost in the camaraderie.Kunal Kapoor is refreshing but again has precious little to do. Priyanka Chopra once again delivers a winning performance as Interpol agent/Don's arch nemesis Roma although towards the end the uncanny chemistry between her and Don seems forced. The film is pulled through by Shahrukh Khan. After a disappointing  performance in Ra.one the superstar comes back with a bang. Shahrukh plays Don with  uber coolness and an unputdownable charm. Just as the first film,  Don is a self-obsessed and calculating criminal but Khan adds a fresh new angle to Don, that of indulgence. He plays out the chemistry with Roma finely which leaves audience guessing long after the curtains are down about the exact nature of his relationship with Roma. As he himself remarks that Roma is a bad habit that he cant seem to let go. At 46 the superstar proves why he is where he is (which is understood by the unending claps and whistles at his every dialogue in a  multiplex). If Don 2 works it works solely due to this one man.

Farhan Akhtar experiments wildly with Don 2 whether it is the character graphs or the plotline. While some are commendable some fail to hit the mark. But then again no director would be able to handle and understand the franchise as well as he does.

In All, Don 2 has its share of flaws but the slickness and style and the absolute charm of the reigning superstar ,makes it worth a watch.

Rating - 7.0/10