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Don (2006 Hindi film)

2006 Indian film directed by Farhan Akhtar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Don (2006 Hindi film)
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Don: The Chase Begins Again, also known simply as Don, is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Farhan Akhtar, who co-wrote the screenplay with his father, veteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar. Produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under Excel Entertainment, the film stars Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role as the titular criminal and his look-alike Vijay, alongside Priyanka Chopra as Roma. The supporting cast includes Arjun Rampal, Isha Koppikar, Boman Irani, Om Puri, and Pavan Malhotra, with Kareena Kapoor appearing in a special appearance. A contemporary reimagining of the 1978 film Don, the story follows a man recruited by the police to impersonate a wounded drug lord and infiltrate his criminal organization.

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Conceived as both a remake and homage to the original film and the 1970s era of Hindi cinema, the project was envisioned by Akhtar with a modern, international treatment. The director retained the core plot while introducing new elements, including a different ending and a more global setting. Principal photography took place in Mumbai and extensively in Malaysia, which served as the backdrop for over 80% of the film. The soundtrack was composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar, and features both original tracks and updated versions of iconic songs from the 1978 film.

Don was released theatrically on 20 October 2006 during the Diwali festival, clashing with Jaan-E-Mann. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised its stylized action sequences, production design, soundtrack, cinematography, and the performances of Khan and Chopra. The film grossed over ₹1.06 billion worldwide against a budget of ₹400 million, becoming the fifth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. The film's twist ending was particularly well-received, allowing the remake to be seen as a standalone narrative rather than a mere retelling.

Don won the Best Asian Film award at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival and earned nine nominations at the 52nd Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Actor (Khan). A sequel, Don 2, was released on 23 December 2011.

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Plot

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In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Asian illegal drug trade is thriving under the leadership of Singhania, one of two lieutenants of the late drug kingpin Boris. Singhania’s network is managed by his trusted associate Don, a powerful and elusive criminal. Deputy Commissioner of Police D'Silva leads a special task force targeting the cartel. His objective is to capture Don and dismantle the organization. Don, however, remains untouchable and ruthless, murdering Ramesh, a gang member who attempts to exit the business. Ramesh's fiancée, Kamini, tries to help the police trap Don but is also killed. Roma, Ramesh’s sister, joins Don’s gang to avenge her brother and Kamini’s deaths.

During a failed police operation, Don is severely injured and falls into a coma. Seeing an opportunity, D'Silva recruits Vijay, a lookalike of Don and a simpleton from Mumbai who makes a living performing stunts. D'Silva trains Vijay to impersonate Don and infiltrate the gang, promising to arrange schooling for Deepu, a child Vijay cares for. Meanwhile, Jasjit, Deepu’s estranged father and a former IT professional, is released from prison. Years earlier, Jasjit was coerced into stealing diamonds to save his kidnapped wife but was caught by D'Silva, who did not believe his story. Jasjit's wife died during the ordeal, and he now seeks revenge.

In the hospital, Vijay undergoes surgery to match Don’s appearance. When Don dies from cardiac arrest, Vijay assumes his identity and re-enters the criminal world. D'Silva assigns Vijay to recover a disc containing details of the cartel’s operations. During this mission, Roma attempts to kill him, but D'Silva intervenes and reveals Vijay’s true identity. Vijay retrieves the disc and hands it to D'Silva, who later kills Singhania in a nightclub raid. During the shootout, D'Silva is fatally wounded, leaving Vijay without anyone to confirm his real identity. Arrested and disavowed by Don’s associates, Vijay escapes during a prisoner transport and seeks out Roma to prove his innocence.

Jasjit, meanwhile, finds the disc in D'Silva’s apartment but is forced to exchange it for Deepu’s life when he is contacted by the boy’s captors. He discovers that D'Silva is alive and is actually Vardhaan—the second of Boris’s lieutenants, long believed to be missing. Vardhaan had orchestrated the entire plan, using Vijay to eliminate Singhania and gain control of the cartel. Jasjit rescues Deepu and joins forces with Vijay and Roma. Together, they inform Interpol, and Vardhaan is arrested after a confrontation with Vijay.

With his name cleared, a wounded Vijay is taken to the hospital, where Roma confesses her love for him. He responds affectionately, but as he is wheeled away, Roma, remembering Vijay's response similar to what Don had said when they first met, realizes—too late—that he is not Vijay. In a twist ending, it is revealed that Don survived the initial hospital encounter and overheard D'Silva and Vijay’s plan. After the surgery, Don swapped places with Vijay and later murdered him by injecting a fatal dose of diazepam, making doctors believe Don had died. The disc he later surrendered to authorities was a fake. With both Singhania and Vardhaan removed, Don successfully reclaims his identity and position at the helm of the Asian drug cartel.

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Cast

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Lead stars Chopra and Khan at the film's premiere, 2006
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Production

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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.[4] 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.[5] The director co-wrote the film with his father, Javed Akhtar, who had also written the original film with Salim Khan.[5][6]

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.[6] 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."[6][7] 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.[6][8]

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.[9] 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.[6]

Casting

Akhtar initially wanted Hrithik Roshan for the titular character, after having worked with him on Lakshya (2004).[10] 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.[5][10] 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."[9]

In July 2005, Priyanka Chopra was cast to play Roma, a role originally played by Zeenat Aman.[11] Akhtar found Chopra to be perfect for the role, saying, "There is a docile sensuality about her which suits the character." When he offered the role to her, she was excited to play the character and immediately agreed to do the film.[10] Later that month Arjun Rampal and Isha Koppikar joined the cast.[12] While Rampal was cast as Jasjit, played by Pran in the original, after Akshay Kumar turned down the role for being secondary, Koppikar was cast in a completely new role that was not in the original film.[12][13] In August 2005, Kareena Kapoor was confirmed to appear in the song "Yeh Mera Dil", which had been performed by Helen in the original film.[14]

Khan, Chopra, and Rampal underwent extensive martial arts training from an expert from the Shaolin Temple.[4] The principal cast received training in different kinds of martial arts.[15] Khan revealed that he had always wanted to look the way Amitabh Bachchan had in his films, but he said he gave his own interpretation to the role.[10] After signing to do the film, Chopra was very excited, but a few days later, she became nervous, wondering if she would be able to do justice to the character.[16] Having seen the original film as a teenager, Chopra avoided watching the film again as she did not want to imitate Zeenat Aman's portrayal of Roma. She made a conscious effort to give her own look and style to the character.[16][17]

This was Chopra's first action role, and she was excited to the part, so she wanted to do all the stunts by herself.[16] 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.[6] 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.[18]

Filming

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Filming was also at the Petronas Towers.

Principal photography commenced in February 2006 in central Mumbai.[19][20] Art direction was handled by Aradhana Seth, and the costumes were designed by Aki Narula.[21] Akhtar chose K. U. Mohanan to handle the cinematography after having been impressed by his work in documentaries and TV commercials.[22] To give an authentic feel to the film, scenes were shot on a closed set in actual chawls in real locations.[20] The film was also shot at Film City and Yash Raj Studios.[21] Some filming was done in Paris in March over a 3-day schedule.[23]

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.[24] 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.[24][25] 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.[26] For a scene depicting a media ambush, several real-life journalists from India and Malaysia were hired.[27]

The song "Yeh Mera Dil" was choreographed by Farah Khan.[24] Veteran choreographer Saroj Khan agreed to choreograph the new version of the popular song "Khaike Paan Banaras Waala", which had been choreographed by her mentor P. L. Raj in the original film.[24][28] The song was filmed in Malaysia on 13 May 2006 with Khan and Chopra.[24] The dancing for other songs was choreographed by Prabhu Deva, Ganesh Hegde, and Rajeev Surti.[21] Hollywood technician Angelo Sahin, the special Effects supervisor behind Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), and aerial stunt co-ordinator Joe Jennings, known for his work in films such as Charlie's Angels (2000), were hired for the action sequences. Filming was also at the Petronas Towers.[29]

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Soundtrack

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Main article: Don (soundtrack)

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. 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.[30][31]

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."[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."[33]

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.[34] The music topped charts on a number of platforms in India.[35] It was one of the best-selling Bollywood soundtracks of the year, with 1.5 million units sold according to Box Office India.[36] The song "Aaj Ki Raat" was used by A. R. Rahman in his Grammy and Academy Award-winning soundtrack Slumdog Millionaire (2008).[37]

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Marketing

Being a remake of an iconic film, and the star-cast involved, Don was one of the most anticipated films of the year. The first look poster was released in late April 2006, which according to the media hinted at the kind of adaptation the film was going to be.[38] This was followed by another poster in late July 2006, which also revealed the release date of the film.[39]

Following the poster reveals, the teaser trailer for Don premiered alongside the theatrical release of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna on 11 August 2006.[40] Bollywood Hungama deemed it promising, writing that the "trendy accessories, sleek gadgets, lavish settings, expensive wardrobe and deadly action scenes build the framework of the new Don."[41] To promote the film, the filmmakers teamed up with Hungama Digital Media Entertainment to launch a mobile game based on the film. It was the first multiplayer online game launched for any Bollywood film. The filmmakers also launched popcorn holders of Don before the release film. An 80-page comic book was published and copies were given for free in multiplexes along with the tickets of the film.[42]

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Release

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Theatrical

In December 2005, UTV Motion Pictures acquired the overseas distribution rights for Don: The Chase Begins Again.[43] Made on a production and marketing budget of ₹400 million, the film was released worldwide on 20 October 2006 across approximately 800 screens, coinciding with the Diwali festival. It clashed at the box office with Jaan-E-Mann, another major Bollywood release starring Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Preity Zinta.[44][45] The film opened to an excellent response domestically, registering an average occupancy of 90% in theatres.[46]

This marked Shah Rukh Khan’s second film to release on 20 October, following the 1995 release of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

Home media

The DVD of the film was released on 5 December 2006. T-Series Home Entertainment handled domestic distribution, while UTV managed international release. The initial home media edition was a two-disc Collector’s Edition in NTSC format, featuring bonus content including behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, bloopers, theatrical trailers, a "clap track," and a promotional Don comic book.[47][48] A steel-case limited edition DVD with the same features was released in January 2007, alongside a VCD version.[48][49] A single-disc DVD edition was released subsequently.[50] The Blu-ray version was released on 27 April 2011.[51]

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Reception

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Box office

Don grossed a first day opening of ₹46 million and ₹141 million on its opening weekend.[44] It also received a good opening in overseas markets with an opening weekend of over $2.2 million.[44] On its opening weekend, the film grossed over ₹302 million worldwide.[44] After its first week, the film took in more than ₹244 million in India.[44] 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.[44][52] The film grossed ₹529 million worldwide at the end of first week.[44] 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.[53] 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".[54] It also grossed over $7.8 million in the overseas territories and was declared a blockbuster.[55] Worldwide, the film grossed over ₹1.06 billion (US$13 million) and was a major commercial success.[44]

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."[56] 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."[57]

Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph gave the film a positive review, noting that the director turned a formula "good defeats bad" film into a modern-day neo-noir film where "bad fights bad", and wrote, "The new Don is more of a remix than the remake with the scratchy edges smoothened out with grunge grooves and blistering beats. Farhan changes the backdrop and the background and yet manages to keep the original sequences and lines."[4] Gupta also praised the acting, "eye-catching locations", cinematography, and production design, and thought that the "breathtaking chase and action sequences" broke new grounds on Indian screens.[4] Bollywood Hungama's Taran Adarsh rated the film a 3 out of 5, praising the performances of the lead actors and writing "Shah Rukh Khan does very well as Don. He enacts the evil character with a flourish. But he fails to carry off the other role [Vijay] with conviction. It looks made up, it doesn't come naturally to him at all. Priyanka Chopra carries off her part with 'lan. The stunt [when she rescues Khan] is bound to win her laurels."[58]

PlanetBollywood.com gave a rating of a 7 out of 10, particularly praising the twist ending, and wrote, "The Don of the 21st century is stylish with flaws, yet, you do enjoy the experience of watching it in the cinema."[59] While labelling the film a "disappointment", film critic Sukanya Verma questioned Akhtar's decision behind remaking an important film.[60] She further criticised Akhtar for taking a fairly simple but engaging storyline, and turning it into a shockingly unimaginative adaptation.[60] Verma also found Khan to be inconsistent in the dual roles.[60] Giving a 1 out of 5, film critic Rajeev Masand panned the film, terming it an exercise in indulgence, and wrote, "Spiffily shot and stylishly packaged, the new Don may wear a new look, but what it's clearly lacking is the raw energy, the unpredictability of Chandra Barot's original thriller."[61]

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Accolades

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Sequels

Main article: Don 2

A sequel titled Don 2, also directed by Farhan Akhtar, was released on 23 December 2011. Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, and Om Puri reprised their roles as Don, Roma, Vardhaan, and Malik, respectively.[70] The film was set five years after the events of Don and follows Don as he attempts to take over the European drug cartel.

Main article: Don 3

Following the commercial success of Don 2, discussions regarding a third installment began circulating. While early reports suggested that Akhtar would reunite with Khan and Chopra for a continuation of the series, both actors eventually exited the project. Instead, Akhtar and Excel Entertainment opted for a new storyline with an entirely different cast. In 2023, Don 3 was officially announced, with Ranveer Singh cast in the lead role and Kiara Advani confirmed as the female lead.

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