Mushkil hi nahin….

Don ke Amitabh Bachchan ki nakal karna namumkin hai!!

Yes, I did see it. It’s one movie I didn’t want to miss whether I liked it or hated it. Somehow, I end up seeing all the SRK movies, though I strongly believe that his acting/over-acting skills leave a lot to be desired. I must admit that I recently saw the original Don, only so that I can criticize the new one. However, this is not only a SRK movie; it is a Farhan Akhtar movie. Had anyone else attempted to pull off this stunt of re-making(or remixing for that matter) an Amitabh “Angry-Young-Man” Bachchan movie, he would have been greeted by huge, rotten, stinking tomatoes at the box office. That Akhtar has done a good job of it, is undoubted. The most impressive thing is that he has presented Don in his own way. He put his own signature on it; and the entire movie didn’t end up looking like the horribly done “Khaike pan Benaraswala” song, with the unwanted extra beats, ungainly choreography, and a Shah Rukh trying very hard not to do a Shah Rukh, and worse still, attempt to do an Amitabh.

The old one was more about Vijay, the very vulnerable Don lookalike, who takes on a very dangerous mission, to provide for the kids that he had taken responsibility for. Needless to mention, Amitabh fitted that role to a T and endeared himself to the audience with his unimitable oily haired, kohl-eyed, pan-spitting, motormouthed, outrageously humorous persona. Akhtar just couldn’t have done without that character since it was central to the movie, and SRK, being himself, just couldn’t act the part. He did not look look rustic; the lungi had given way to denim. He did not look the kind who can eat a pan; and enjoy it. He could not spit the gob. And I will not get started on the half hearted attempt at a UP-Bhaiya accent.

The movie is slick. Period. Very fast-paced and very smooth. SRK did what he can do best: look cool. The modified screenplay and camera-work gave the movie the action movie look that it promised to have; what with the matrix rip-off green promos. The background score was very Hollywood; the heavy guitars, the furious drumming and the racy beats. Very much like the original Don, the theme music was always at the centre of all the different arrangements. Kudos to Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Finally we do see a breed of music directors other than the God - AR Rehman, doing very good work indeed.

Now, Akhtar did bend the story a bit here and there. Mostly, to remove the fantastical heroics that our heroes used to pull off so effortlessly. I really have to describe my favourite from the old Don – the tight rope act by Pran:

[Drum Roll…]
Heavy voice over the PA :
Witness the most courageous act of all times…
A cripple walks a tight rope between two high-rise buildings with no safety measures…
What’s more…. he carries two half-full grown children in his arms…
With baddies sawing away furiously at the rope…
Can he make it???
Preeeeeeeeesenting JJ
[Drum Roll.. Followed by a more elaborate drum roll]

The reason for the big twist of not killing the original Don was to give SRK leeway to act the way he does. So that he can smirk, croak, stammer, fight, and flirt, all in his way. Give him a role where he has the free license to do all these, and you have an entertainer on your hands, i.e. if you are a SRK fan. For others like me, suppress a giggle or two, shake your head a couple of times, let out an abuse maybe... and enjoy the show. A well made movie, with actors doing their role well. Priyanka Chopra looks hot enough to replace Zeenat Amaan and thankfully has lesser fight sequences, where she doesn’t have to use The Chop Style of karate to kick the butts of 20 goons at a time. Boman Irani hasn’t done many flawed roles, and this surely isn’t one. Arjun Rampal does his bit as JJ. Kareena/Kariena/Karina Kapoor, the aspiring WWF challenger, does well to show her beefy arms and thighs off. Helen would be shaking her head and going tch tch... Even in this era of definitive item numbers, we can have such a shoddy performance. Om Puri gets a very small role since Malik’s character lost favour with Akhtar. SRK…. haven’t I spoken enough about his acting prowess…

The last thing I want to talk about is the smoking bit. This is how we bend rules in India. They are not allowed to show actors smoke onscreen. So our hero exhales clouds of smoke, flicks the cigarette away in style and talks about kicking the habit. Done!!
Kya bhai…. hum to kanoon ke dayre mein hi hein.. kyon??.. aaain!!