Bollywood review: Don 2 is the King

Don (1978) was released in the era of Amitabh Bachan. Before his breakthrough most Bollywood movies were based on romance, dance and seldom action, not counting the silly fighting scenes done usually by Rishi Kapoor in rom-coms. Big B was a maverick. He was quite tall, 6'2 to be exact, when the average Hindi superstar's height were 5 feet and 7 inches.
  So most producers didn't take him aboard the movie cruise early on. The majority of his start-up roles were side ones. Although, due to his towering structure, he must've made an impression. After the release of Zanjeer in 1973, Big B launched the span of B-wood action films. He is considered the one actor to revolutionise thrillers and adrenaline in the 70s and 80s. Big B had charisma - he was unique - and that's what made him a legend.
   Don was one of the biggest hits of B-town both in commercial and critical terms. The film had thrill, suspense, humour with an unsentimental touch of romance, quite unusual for a Hindi film. This would've left even Hollywood bedazzled. The film was directed by Chandra Barot and written by the cult duo Salim-Javed. The film follows a police officer trying to catch the criminal Don. To do this he hires a lookalike named Vijay to impersonate him. It grossed Rs. 70m off a Rs. 8.5m budget domestically. And was the 3rd highest-grosser of 1978. Don's remake was a proven theory of superhit when Shah Rukh Khan was cast in the lead. Sorry Abhishek, guess you couldn't fill your own father's shoes in the end. Kareena Kapoor glittered elegantly in her sexy attire in Helen's footsteps with dancing to the song 'Ye Mera Dil'. Though the storyline was good there were noticeable flaws. Farhan Akthar, the director and co-writer seemed confused in some areas. Where the audience wanted action there was unwanted suspense and vice versa. The movie couldn't been done better, as also said by the late Indian Times critic Nikhat Kazmi. Most of the film is matched with the original, and the premise is the same, but I have to mention that SRK suited the role better than Big Bachan.
  Don: The Chase Begins Again grossed $23.1m worldwide on a $7.7m budget and was the 6th highest-grossing Indian movie of 2006.
  Now moving on to Don 2. This sequel is the continuation of the remake. Much of the sentimentality of a dual role is missing. The plot is a lot stronger than the first, and the majority scenes were shot in Berlin and Malaysia. Boman Irani, veteran Om Puri and the exotic Priyanka Chopra reprise their roles. With Irani's acting coming 2nd to King Khan's playing a badass irrespective of being a noted comedian.
  Applause to SRK for his best performance since Josh (2000), my 2nd fav. movie of his. SRK leaves an impression with his lead villainous aura washing away his gig along with Bachan's. His dialogue delivery is top notch and no other actor in the whole of B-wood could've done it better. The best part of the film are the dialogues. They give a sense of humour in scenes full of mystery and suspense. It is as if reading a horror teen novel without being able to guess the end. The story follows Don, the underworld kingpin, surrendering himself to Interpol. He attempts to make a deal with the authority but is thrown into a Malaysian penitentiary awaiting two weeks for the death penalty. Now here the suspense starts as his ex-associate is in the same prison. The movie co-stars Kunal Kapoor and Lara Dutta (who had an unimpressive item song) as new faces. Though people are comparing the venture with the likes of Hollywood and I don't compare B-town films with the US film industry - this one managed to be in rank with MI: Ghost Protocol and A Game of Shadows in the December releases. It has managed to make $46.2m off $15.4m worldwide, releasing on 23 Dec. 011 in both 2-D and 3-D, and is the highest grosser for a non-Friday holiday and the highest Indian box office attraction of 2011 overseas. It has ended its theatrical run and may go on to earn the total off $50m in DVD and blu-ray sales. It was also the most popular feature at the 62nd Berlin Film Festival. Many overseas critics have given it positive reviews, and I'm unofficially one of them. I give the original Don 3/4, the remake 3/4 and this biggie a 4/4. Don 2 is not only the most profitable films of Indian cinema, it is the King!