Comparisons are odious - but in this case, inevitable. Mr. Akhtar has taken the campy cult classic of the seventies and dared to present it to us in a magical new garb. This has outraged many fans of Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and the old Don. I want to start out by saying that I was never a great fan of the original version - it was made as a low budget film and became a classic only by virtue of an interesting story line and Mr. B's larger than life persona in the film and at the time.
What does the new Don offer that the old Don lacked?
1. It offers a slick wonderfully smooth roller-coaster ride that was absent in the circa 1978 version.
2. It offers an updated suave yet menacing evil protagonist that the old one lacked. Mr. B was way better as the naive and bhaiyya Vijay, not very convincing as the evil Don. One should remember that the best of his roles that carried a menace associated with his persona were those where the menace was righteous! This was not the case in Don (1978) and so he did not present the role as well.
3. It offers wonderful action and thrills a minute. The action sequences, car chases, fights, flights are unmatched in Hindi cinema and rival stuff coming out of Hollywood!
4. It offers excellent music and dance numbers - ah, recycled some say. I disagree - the "Yeh Mera Dil" number sizzles in the hands of Kareena, and "Khaike Paan Banaraswala" now has Mr. Khan's image embedded with it!! And the two original numbers "Main Hoon Don" and "Aaaj ki Raat" are inspired and brilliant.
5. It offers excellent comedy that has nothing to do with slapstick or stupid.
6. It offers bad guy henchmen that are real. It replaces the fake sheiks and bug eyed goons standing around, with sexy sirens and real menacing dudes!
7. Best of all it offers a couple of very smart twists that I will not describe in any detail so the spoiler warning is unnecessary. Let me just ask two questions. Is it easier for a suave sophisticate to play a dumb yokel, or for a dumb yokel to play the suave sophisticate? What motivates DCP DeSilva to send Vijay back as Don in the 1978 version?
8. It offers a very smart and sleek leading lady, who does not seem fake in the martial arts moves - the practice was well worth it Ms. Chopra!
9. It fleshes out the character of Anita more than Don 1978 did, she was a warm body there. And Ms. KOPPIKAR does justice to the role.
10. It offers us Mr. Boman Irani in the role played by Iftekhar. Iftekhar was great but Mr. Irani is superb.
11. I saved the best for last. Last but not least at all, it offers Mr. Shahrukh Khan the opportunity to dust off his acting chops and delight us as the evil menacing Don. The Badshah is back and he is badder than ever! Welcome back Mr. Khan - first the bad boy in KANK and now the evil dude in Don. Divali came with a great gift this year! Let us hope the future roles are even more varied and delightful.
Surely it is not flawless, you ask. So what is wrong with the new Don?
1. Well, I never really believed in the whole Doppelganger thing (a duplicate human being for everyone) outside of the identical twin scenario. So yes, that is pretty unbelievable, but that is a premise that has fascinated story tellers and movie makers for years - plus that baggage came with the old Don so no negative points there.
2. Why was JJ carrying his kid on his shoulders - wouldn't it be easier to hold his hand and walk across? JJ in the old Don TIGHTROPE WALKED on his lame leg with two kids on his shoulders. So I am actually giving the new Don a plus point!
3. The whole CD with information thing was a bit overplayed - but it beat the toss the red notebook game played in the graveyard in the old Don! So again a point for the new version.
So when I do the math, Mr. Akhtar's Don comes out way ahead in sophistication, storytelling, fun, action, thrills, drama, and acting. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and you will want to go back for more. I will probably go back just so I can watch the demented Khaike Paan number again. And the twist does leave room for a sequel - I sincerely hope Farhan and Shahrukh will do one.
