Don (2006 Hindi film)
Don: The Chase Begins Again | |
---|---|
Directed by | Farhan Akhtar |
Screenplay by | |
Based on | Don (1978) by Salim–Javed |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | K. U. Mohanan |
Edited by |
|
Music by | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 169 minutes[2] |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Budget | ₹38 crore[3] |
Box office | ₹106.34 crore[3] |
Don: The Chase Begins Again, better known simply as Don, is a 2006 Indian
In remaking the film from a new perspective, Akhtar wanted to give a contemporary style and treatment to the original film and make a film that he believed would be perfectly suited to modern times. The director later bought the rights and conceived his adaptation as an homage to the original film and its cast and crew, and to the 1970s era in general. He co-wrote the screenplay with his father, Javed Akhtar, who had also written the original script with Salim Khan. He kept the basic plot but introduced some changes that included an international setting and a different ending. Principal photography commenced in Mumbai, before moving to Malaysia, where 80% of the filming was done. The soundtrack was composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.
Don: The Chase Begins Again released on 20 October 2006, coinciding with the festive season of Diwali, clashing with Jaan-E-Mann starring Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta. It proved to be a major commercial success, grossing over ₹1.06 billion at the box-office against a production and marketing budget of ₹400 million, thus becoming the fifth highest grossing Hindi film of 2006. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its action sequences, soundtrack, production design, cinematography, and Khan and Chopra's performances. The twist ending gained massive praise from critics and audiences who then saw the movie as its own movie rather than a remake of the original. Khan returned to playing the villain, after a decade, having played the villain in four films prior to this, starting with Baazigar, and last being Ram Jaane.
Don won Best Asian Film at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival. The film also received 9 nominations at the 52nd Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Actor (Khan).
A sequel titled Don 2 was released on 23 December 2011.
Plot
The illegal drug trade based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is booming. A team headed by DCP D' Silva targets the operations of cartel leader Singhania to capture his manager, Don. Singhania is one of the two lieutenants of a deceased kingpin, known as Boris; the other is Vardhaan, whose whereabouts are unknown.
Don kills Ramesh, one of his close associates, after he tries to leave the gang without informing him first. Ramesh's fiancée Kamini uses herself as bait in an attempt to trap him for the police, but Don kills her too in a stand-off. Roma, Ramesh's sister, plans to avenge her brother and sister-in-law's deaths, and infiltrates Don's gang. Don is injured and falls into a coma while trying to flee from the police. D'Silva finds a poor look-alike named Vijay and asks him to join his mission. Vijay agrees when De Silva promises to admit Deepu, a boy Vijay takes care of, to school.
Meanwhile, Jasjit, an IT consultant and Deepu's father, is released from prison. He plans to kill D'Silva to avenge his wife's death. Several years ago, Jasjit was captured by an unknown assailant who made him steal diamonds from his employer in order to save his kidnapped wife. However, D'Silva caught him and refused to believe Jasjit, shooting him in the leg and giving him a permanent limp. Jasjit's wife died after.
At the hospital, a doctor gives Vijay scars identical to Don's. When Don dies after a heart seizure, the masquerade begins. Vijay, posing as an amnesiac Don, joins the gang. De Silva asks Vijay to find a computer disc containing details about the drug cartel. When Vijay finds it, Roma attempts to kill him, but D’Silva tells her of Don's real identity. Vijay hands over the disc to D'Silva, who murders Singhania during a raid at a club. The police arrest Vijay. D'Silva is killed in the shootout, devastating Vijay, as he was the only person who could prove that Vijay is not the real Don. Having discovered his true identity, Don's associates turn against him. Vijay escapes a prisoner transportation flight to Malaysia and meets with Roma to recover the disc and prove his innocence.
Jasjit finds the disc in D'Silva's apartment. He receives a call to bring the disc to the men who are holding Deepu hostage. He learns that D'Silva has been alive all along and is actually Vardhaan (who is also implied to have been the man who blackmailed Jasjit) and was using Vijay to reach Singhania. Jasjit escapes with Deepu and teams up with Vijay and Roma before the trio inform the Interpol.
In combat, Vijay overpowers Vardhaan, who is then arrested by Interpol Inspector Malik. Vijay is acquitted, and Roma confesses her love for him before he says a line Don had told her when they first met. Too late she realizes, in a
Cast
- Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role as
- Mark Donald aka Don, the Antagonist
- Vijay Pal, Don’s lookalike and the Protagonist
- Priyanka Chopra as Roma Bhagat, the 2nd Protagonist
- Arjun Rampal as Jasjit "J. J." Ahuja
- Isha Koppikar as Anita Sinha
- Boman Irani as Fake DCP D'Silva/Vardhaan Makhija, the 2nd Antagonist
- Om Puri as Interpol Officer Vishal Malik
- Kareena Kapooras Kamini Arora/ Sonia (cameo appearance)
- Pavan Malhotra as Narang Singh
- Rajesh Khattar as Mr. Sanjeev Singhania (Don's boss) in a guest appearance
- Tanay Chheda as Deepak "Deepu" Ahuja (J. J.'s son)
- Satyajit Sharma as Mystery Man
- Chunky Pandeyas T. J. (special appearance)
- Sushma Reddyas Geeta Ahuja (J. J.'s wife) (special appearance)
- Diwakar Pundir as Ramesh Bhagat (special appearance)
Production
Development
Farhan Akhtar conceived the idea to remake the 1978 film of the same name after listening to a remixed version of a song from the original film.[6] In early 2005, media started reporting that Akhtar was planning to remake the film, but rather than confirming the news, he revealed that though he was writing the screenplay based on the film, he would take the final decision after completing the script.[7] The director co-wrote the film with his father, Javed Akhtar, who had also written the original film with Salim Khan.[7][8]
Akhtar revealed that the reason behind the remake was a desire to give a new treatment to "a fantastic film which he enjoyed watching as a child", and create an adaptation that he thought would suit modern times.[8] He found the film a little ahead of its time. And, he thought so because of the narration, dialogue, and the writing style, which he thought was very modern even for its time. Akhtar said, "Don is the one film from that time that in my mind lends itself to being remade today. So today, when you adapt it, it fits very easily into a contemporary space. I think it fits into the modern sensibility of movie viewing."[8][9] Additionally, he wanted to pay tribute to the stars and makers of the original film, the 1970s era in general, and the films made by Salim–Javed and Amitabh Bachchan.[8][10]
In order to suit the modern sensibility, several changes were introduced. Akhtar changed a number of aspects of the climax as he felt the original ending was outdated for today's audiences.[11] On the other hand, a number of elements from the original were retained in the new film, notably the background score, two songs, some dialogue, and some situations, all of which Akhtar believed were fine in the original, saying that not including them would be a crime.[8]
Casting
Akhtar initially wanted Hrithik Roshan for the titular character, after having worked with him on Lakshya (2004).[12] However, Akhtar felt that the character required a more mature actor, saying he wanted "a face that had seen the world and roughed it out." The director said that Roshan's innocence was not right for the role, and instead cast Shah Rukh Khan for the part that had been portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan in the 1978 film.[7][12] Akhtar believed that Khan was the most suitable for the role, saying, "He has the personality, the style, the flair, the larger than life persona, the sense of humour and the sheer magnetism that this character requires."[11]
In July 2005,
Khan, Chopra, and Rampal underwent extensive
This was Chopra's first action role, and she was excited to the part, so she wanted to do all the stunts by herself.[18] After Chopra decided to perform her own stunts, Akhtar revealed that he was happy as it gave him the scope to film the fight sequences from different angles.[8] Rampal, in the role of Jasjit, said that he approached his character in a way similar to how Pran had played it in the original but with an emotional graph. Boman Irani, who plays DCP D'Silva, a role performed by Iftekhar in the original film, revealed that he played the role according to what suited the script, but retained some of the dignity from that film.[20]
Filming
The filming moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in April 2006 where the majority of the film was shot. 80% of the filming was done in Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi.[26] In Malaysia, filming was done over the course of 70 days at 42 locations including KLCC, Kampung Baru, and Penchala Link, and included more than 1000 extras, all of whom were selected following auditions. Additional filming was done in Singapore.[26][27] Apparently, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad, who had previously declined even Hollywood films to be filmed in the Petronas Towers, gave his permission for the crew to film inside his personal office in the Towers.[28] For a scene depicting a media ambush, several real-life journalists from India and Malaysia were hired.[29]
The song "Yeh Mera Dil" was choreographed by
Music
The soundtrack was composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, with lyrics written by Javed Akhtar. The album contains 8 songs: 3 original, 2 remakes of from the original film, a theme, a reprise, and a remix of one of the 3 new songs.[32] The vocals were performed by Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shankar Mahadevan, Alisha Chinai, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan and MIDIval Punditz. It was released on 26 August 2006 by T-Series.[32][33]
The soundtrack received positive reviews from music critics, who praised "Aaj Ki Raat", calling it "innovative" and the best song on the album. The recreation of songs from the original film, "Ye Mera Dil" and "Khaike Paan Banaraswala", received mixed reviews. Joginder Tuteja from Bollywood Hungama gave the album a 4 out of 5, noting its success at surprising its listener, and wrote, "Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy do exceedingly well with the soundtrack and establish their supremacy as the composer trio who can give their own even while rearranging the songs from the past."[34] Planet Bollywood gave a rating of 6.5 out of 10, praising its lyrics and vocals, and termed "Aaj Ki Raat" as "the best song in the entire soundtrack."[32] Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com was less impressed with the album, calling it "Snazzy, good mix" and writing, "This lavish enterprise has a little bit of everything. An eclectic mix of old, new and everything in between; Don is an unusual presentation of old-wine-in-new-bottle."[35]
The Don soundtrack album was the first Indian soundtrack to be released on iTunes on the same day of its launch or before the public release of physical copies.[36] The music topped charts on a number of platforms in India.[37] It was one of the best-selling Bollywood soundtracks of the year, with 1.5 million units sold according to Box Office India.[38] The song "Aaj Ki Raat" was used by A. R. Rahman in his Grammy and Academy Award-winning soundtrack Slumdog Millionaire (2008).[39]
Marketing
Being a
Release
Theatrical
In December 2005, UTV Motion Pictures acquired the overseas rights of the film.[44] Made on a production and marketing budget of ₹400 million, Don was released worldwide on 20 October 2006 in 800 screens during the Diwali festive season, clashing with another Bollywood film Jaan-E-Mann.[45][46] The film opened to excellent to very good response at the domestic box-office, with an occupancy of 90%.[47]
This was Shah Rukh Khan's second film to release on 20 October, after DDLJ.
Home media
The DVD of the film was released by
Reception
Box office
Don grossed a first day opening of ₹46 million and ₹141 million on its opening weekend.[45] It also received a good opening in overseas markets with an opening weekend of over $2.2 million.[45] On its opening weekend, the film grossed over ₹302 million worldwide.[45] After its first week, the film took in more than ₹244 million in India.[45] The film grossed $1.1 million in its first week in UK, while the total overseas first week earnings were more than $4.1 million.[45][53] The film grossed ₹529 million worldwide at the end of first week.[45] The film had a very good hold in its second week, and performed extremely well, even better than that week's new release and collections increased in several centers, with setting new second week highs.[54] After its theatrical run, the film grossed over ₹710 million in India, becoming the fifth highest-grossing Indian film of 2006, and was deemed a "hit".[55] It also grossed over $7.8 million in the overseas territories and was declared a blockbuster.[56] Worldwide, the film grossed over ₹1.06 billion (US$13 million) and was a major commercial success.[45]
Critical response
Upon release, Don was well received by critics. Mayank Shekhar from Mumbai Mirror gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 and wrote, "The former was a character-driven, intimate film, albeit a fairly slick thriller, mostly for its screenplay. The latter is a most updated Indian film of the action genre that always calculably concentrates on the new twists, and the turning points, both of which mostly seem cleverer than contrived; ably fitting pieces, the known characters, into a new domino."[57] Raja Sen of Rediff.com felt the film was "conventional and predictable", and complained that the director did not develop his characters. However, Sen was impressed by Chopra's performance and wrote, "[She] handles her role with efficiency, looking every bit the competent woman of action – and a ravishing babe who fills out a skintight white jumpsuit deliciously."[58]
Accolades
Award | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st Asian Film Awards | Best Actor | Shah Rukh Khan | Nominated | [63] |
52nd Filmfare Awards | Best Film | Don | Nominated | [64] |
Best Actor | Shah Rukh Khan | Nominated | ||
Best Music Director | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | Nominated | ||
Best Art Direction | Aradhana Seth | Nominated | ||
Best Cinematography | Mohanan | Nominated | ||
Best Costume Design | Aki Narula | Nominated | ||
Best Choreography | Ganesh Acharya (for song "Main Hoon Don") | Nominated | ||
Best Action | Angelo Samn | Nominated | ||
Best Special Effects | Red Chillies VFX | Nominated | ||
8th IIFA Awards | Best Actor | Shah Rukh Khan | Nominated | [65] |
Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival | Best Asian Film | Don | Won | [66] |
Sequel
A sequel entitled Don 2, also directed by Akhtar, was released on 23 December 2011. Khan, Chopra, Irani, and Puri reprise their roles as Don, Roma, Vardhaan, and Malik, respectively.[67]
See also
References
- ^ Krishna, Sonali (1 November 2006). "A new Don for box-office records". The Economic Times. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ "Don (2006)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Don – Movie". Box Office India.
- ^ "Watch Don | Netflix". Netflix.
- ^ "Don (2006) - IMDb". IMDb.
- ^ The Telegraph. Archived from the originalon 10 November 2006. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ a b c "Farhan's 'Don' with SRK". Sify. 29 March 2005. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Jain, Priyanka (30 August 2006). "Don is suave bhai with a twist". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ Sen Raja; Panicker, Prem (17 October 2006). "Farhan, his dad and the Don". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ Sen Raja; Panicker, Prem (18 October 2006). "I am not shying away from the old Don". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ a b ""The line 'Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai' is very apt for this end than it was for the original" – Farhan Akhtar". Bollywood Hungama. 28 October 2006. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d "The perfect Zeenat". Bollywood Hungama. 20 July 2005. Archived from the original on 22 June 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ Adarsh, Taran (5 July 2005). "Priyanka's race to the top". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 15 December 2005. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ a b "Arjun, Ishaa join the DON". Bollywood Hungama. 19 July 2005. Archived from the original on 18 October 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ Jha, Subhash K (3 June 2005). "Akshay Kumar: Let's Get Serious". Sify. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Kareena is the new Kamini". Bollywood Hungama. 4 August 2005. Archived from the original on 12 April 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ ""I don't think people remember the director of the original Don" – Arjun Rampal". Bollywood Hungama. 16 October 2006. Archived from the original on 18 October 2006. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ a b c ""I did not watch Don again because I did not want to do it like Zeenat Aman. If I tried being like her, I would not have been able to do justice to Roma"- Priyanka Chopra". Bollywood Hungama. 17 October 2006. Archived from the original on 18 October 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Priyanka: I cherish every moment of Don". Sify. 13 October 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ ""If you have to remake a film like Sound of Music would you create new music and new tracks for the film then?" – Boman Irani". Bollywood Hungama. 18 October 2006. Archived from the original on 18 October 2006. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ Adarsh, Taran (11 February 2006). "Satellite buyer offers big money for 'Don' rights". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 27 February 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ a b "Don being shot in Bombay Central chawls". Bollywood Hungama. 13 February 2006. Archived from the original on 27 February 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ a b c "Don – The Chase Begins Again". Bollywood Hungama. 20 October 2006. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ Sen Raja; Panicker, Prem (19 October 2006). "'You'll never think Kareena is cheap'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Farhan Akhtar's Don heads towards Paris". Bollywood Hungama. 27 February 2006. Archived from the original on 18 May 2008. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "SRK, Priyanka and Saroj Khan set to shoot Paan Banaras Wala". Bollywood Hungama. 10 April 2006. Archived from the original on 20 July 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Farhan Akhtar's Don to encourage local talents of Malaysia". Bollywood Hungama. 1 February 2006. Archived from the original on 19 December 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Don enters Malaysia PM's Office". Bollywood Hungama. 25 September 2006. Archived from the original on 18 October 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Malaysian journalists to be featured in Don". Bollywood Hungama. 2 May 2006. Archived from the original on 20 July 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Saroj Khan gets sentimental about DON". Bollywood Hungama. 21 September 2006. Archived from the original on 8 March 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "International technicians on DON". Bollywood Hungama. 23 August 2006. Archived from the original on 24 February 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ a b c Bhasin, Shruti. "Don Music Review". Planet Bollywood. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ "'DON' music to release on September 27". Bollywood Hungama. 25 September 2006. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ Tuteja, Joginder (29 September 2006). "Don Music Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ Verma, Sukanya (1 October 2006). "Don music: Snazzy, good mix". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2006. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ "iTunes promotes Don in their world section". Bollywood Hungama. 1 October 2006. Archived from the original on 8 March 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ Tuteja, Joginder (9 October 2006). "'DON' tops the charts, 'Jaan-E-Mann' and LRM enter too". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 26 November 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Music Hits 2000–2009 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. 22 January 2009. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ Carroll, Larry (20 November 2008). "EXCLUSIVE: 'Slumdog Millionaire' Soundtrack Revealed". MTV. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ "First Look: SRK's Don". Rediff.com. 24 April 2006. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "SRK in and as Don". Bollywood Hungama. 27 July 2006. Archived from the original on 18 May 2008. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Don: Theatrical promo watch". Bollywood Hungama. 11 September 2006. Archived from the original on 18 October 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Comic Book on Don to be distributed in multiplexes". Bollywood Hungama. 2 November 2006. Archived from the original on 18 May 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ Jha, Subhash K (26 December 2005). "UTV acquires overseas rights of 'Don'". Sify. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Don – The Chase Begins Again". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ Navgire, Moses (18 October 2006). "The Don – Jaan-E-Mann Connection". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 8 March 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "Box Office Report-21st October 2006". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 24 October 2006. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ Amazon. Archived from the originalon 13 November 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ a b "'Don' DVDs arrive in style". Bollywood Hungama. 5 January 2007. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Don (VCD)". Induna. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ "Don (2006)". Amazon. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Don Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "DON: 6 Days, 1 Million Dollars!". Bollywood Hungama. 25 October 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "Box Office Report-4th November 2006". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 7 November 2006. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "Box Office 2006". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ "Top Lifetime Grossers OVERSEAS". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ Shekhar, Mayank (21 October 2006). "Cuts to the chase". Mumbai Mirror. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ Sen, Raja (20 October 2006). "SRK pays just tribute to Big B's Don". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ Adarsh, Taran (20 October 2006). "Don – The Chase Begins Again Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ Bhasin, Shruti (20 October 2006). "Film Review – Don – The Chase Begins Again". Planet Bollywood. Archived from the original on 8 November 2006. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ a b c Verma, Sukanya (20 October 2006). "Don disappoints". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ Masand, Rajeev. "Masand's verdict: Don, such a con". RajeevMasand.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ "Asian Film Awards Nominations". Asian Film Awards. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- Sony.
- Star Plus.
- ^ "Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival Awards 2007". Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Don 2". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
External links
- Official website
- Don at IMDb
- Don on Facebook
- Don at Box Office Mojo
- Don at Rotten Tomatoes
- Don – The Chase Begins Again at Bollywood Hungama