Don vs Nach Baliye

So all the hoopla made me go and watch the new Don. As luck would have it, my friend Motu accompanied me. 30 minutes into the movie, he leaned to my side and whispered, "Yaar, isse badhiya to Nach Baliye hi dekhte, tune ch**** banwa diya"

Now, the humble movie buff that yours truly is, I harbor some notions of intellectual superiority when when it comes to movies vis-a-vis Motu. So decided not to make such a snap judgement about the movie.

By just being a movie, a creative form of expression, the new Don merits an independent look. Also, since it is so closely tied to the original 1978 movie, not comparing it gives just half the story.

DON, in Its Own Right


So, for the time being lets forget 1978. The movie opens with the closeup of SRK's metrosexual lips saying, "Don" in as husky a voice as "Raj Malhotra" can manage. Ahem.

Kareena looks hot though the sound track and dance movements seem quite dated. SRK's face contortions start right from the first scene. Looks like a character trying very hard to convince he is evil.

Loads of style, gadgets, gizmos, international locales and fast cars. One thing that hits you is that instead of being a suave womaniser, Don comes across as a cheap lecher a la lungi-wearing-gutkha-chewing Pan-Masala manufacturer or carpet exporter from Delhi. Poking a finger in Priyanka's blouse scene can never be described as sophistication or suaveness or even endearingly, tantalisignly naughty - it is only cheap.

SRK chewing pan and trying to mouth colloquial dialect sounds like a young BPO Call center guy chewing pan after being heavily drunk and trying to mock Lalu Prasad Yadav - all the, "Khane ko kapra nahin rahega, pahanne ko roti nahi rahega, teen guna lagaan dena parega" tone intact.

Car chase scenes are tiring.

Om Puri and Boman Irani look so unfit (physically unfit, since the role did demand a more athletic presence) and unsuited to the tough cop roles that you wonder who casted them in the first place. Both of them running around and firing bullets with all the James Bondesque style look funny.

Pawan Malhotra does not look convincing as SRK's peer in the gang.

Priyanka looks cute - she doesn't have to act. Oh, and did you notice Isha Kopikkar.

Story has so many plots and sub-plots that you lose track and interest after a while. Many things happen without you realising why ther are happening and how they lead upto the climax. The final twist looks almost like an after thought.

All in all, the movie is like one of those kids in class who are neither extremely notoriuos nor extremely brilliant - the ones who the teacher won't recognise even if he teaches them for five years. Had it not been for so much hoopla, you wouldn't even notice the Don.

Don 2006 vs Don 1978
Story
Story of 2006 Don is more contrived presumably to give it a suspense thriller edge but somehow, so may things happen in so many directions that it fails to give an impression of a tight storyline and sharp execution.

1978 don, on the other hand had a good, tight script and all the scenes added to the build up of the final climax and appeared doing so.

Music
Music you cannot compare. Original soundtrack is much much ahead of the new Don. The endearing quality of the older songs is completely missing in the new version - so much so that you don't remember even a single song after coming out of the theater - except for "Khaike pan" and "Main hoon don" and "Yeh mera dil", for obvious reasons.

The new songs are non descript, the renewed songs are very pale remixes. Particularly, "Main hoon Don" is a huge disappointment. Shaan's voice may be good for "Tanha Dil", it doesn't do justice to a suave killer proclaiming he is very dangerous. Lyrics are thoughtless, Don saying, "Bahut hi khatarnak hoon main" is inane.

"Khaike paan" is listless, you may buy the CD and play it on a couple of your drives to Jaipur but nothing beyond that. "Yeh mera Dil" sounds more like some "Pussy Cat Remix" and you'd rather Rakhi Sawant gyrate on it.

Caharacters/Acting
Protagonist - the usual SRK routine - face contortions, expansive gestures, exaggerated mannerisms, more like Rajnikant - ok make it Rajnikant dressed up by Manish Malhotra. Bhaiyya antics look more like an NRI kid immitating a country bumpkin. In-a-bath-tub-watching-Tom-and-Jerry looks like an extension of the Lux ad.

Bachchan was superb. Endearing as Vijay and sophistication personified as Don. No extra gestures, not even an extra twitch of an eyelid, very measured and deliberate mannerisms - like a man in control - just like the character of Don would be.

Priyanka Chopra has precious little to do. So does Isha and Pawan Malhotra. We don't connect with Arjun Rampal as JJ while for Pran's character, you did feel a lot of empathy.

Iftikhar evoked a certain reverence as a mission obsessed cop. Boman Irani fails to shine. Its like a very average cop act. Om Puri is wasted.

Direction/Cinetaography/Action
Action sequences are decidedly better and more stylish in the new one. International locales give it a more contemporary look.

Success of direction should be measured by how well the director is able to make the audience feel the joys, sorrows and travails of the characters on screen - how well can he make you connect to the goings on. The new Don falls flat on this count.

The impact of the old movie can be gauged that even today, there are people who love the khaike paan song and imitate Bachchan's dialogues. Oooh, Bachchan's dialogues remind me of something more - with all due respect to SRK fans and his histrionics ability, SRK mouthing Bachchan's dialogues actually looked humorous - it was like Ganga Deen Chaube of "Ghanta Ghar Ram-Leela Mandli" imitating the Ravana of DD's Ramayan serial.

You can always say that making a remake is a risky job and all that but what needs to be kept in mind is that whatever interest this new Don evoked was largely due to it being a remake of the classic. Had it been a stand-alone movie; with this kind of characterisation, story telling and acting, it wouldn't even have been noticed.