Movie Review: Don 2

Starring: Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra
Director: Farhan Akhtar
Original Release Date: December 23, 2011

*No Spoilers*

If you ask me whether Don 2 was better than Don, I probably wouldn't be able to give you an answer. Because it was a remake, the element of surprise in the first Don wouldn't be possible in any other installment of Don. Therefore this sequel stands on its own.

I'd been waiting almost five years for this movie. After Don, I just knew there had to be a sequel. Five long years later, we finally have it. And it was pretty much everything I could have asked for. I feel like I shouldn't go into too much of a synopsis, in fear of killing it for anyone who hasn't seen it (is there really anyone who hasn't seen it?). I'll stick to being vague.

Shahrukh Khan's entrance in this film is bomb (pun intended). Seriously, it was goosebump inducing and almost comparable to his Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham helicopter entrance. Simply powerful. I was also worried about the long hair when I initially saw stills, but he pulls it off oh so well.

The story is an interesting one, and one that brings Don and Vardaan back together. It feels well thought out rather than simply thrown together. Loose ends seem to actually get tied up as well. And, don't worry, there are enough twists and turns in the story to keep you at the edge of your seat.

Shahrukh is simply flawless in this movie. Brilliant acting, brilliant styling, brilliant everything. He seems young(er) and fresh, yet polished. At 46, the man has maintained himself well enough to act with a costar almost 17 years younger than him. Speaking of said costar, Priyanka Chopra is beautiful but largely underwhelming in the film. This could be blamed on lack of character development for Roma, or the overpowering nature of Don's character. (Or maybe I was just too busy paying attention to Shahrukh!)

As for new characters, Lara Dutta was cute but didn't really have a whole lot to do. I would be more annoyed about the lack of impactful female "presence" in Don 2, but we all know that this movie simply revolves around Don--as it should. Kunal Kapoor does a great job in his role.

So the story was good, characters were good, what about music? I think I was the lone wolf who loved the Don 2 soundtrack before viewing the film. After seeing all the tracks in context I further realized what a phenomenal soundtrack it is. "Zaraa Dil Ko Thaam Lo" is easily the best of the batch, and picturization is superb. I also love "Dushman Mera" but the picturization of this one (shown at the end) is just...weird. "Hai Ye Maya" goes well with the film. Unfortunately, "Mujhko Pehchaan Lo" which is a truly great track, was not included in the film.

Another great aspect of Don 2? The action. That's all I can say. The action sequences in this movie are truly a highlight and show how far Bollywood has come in this respect. No more "dishoom dishoom"-- the action in Don 2 is simply at another level.

I had only one real gripe with Don 2. In the first Don, Don's character was very dark and sadistic--almost creepy. I missed that element in the sequel. While Don's character is still dark, that creepy "I enjoy killing" attitude just isn't there. Even so, this is only a minor complaint in light of the amazingness that is Don 2.

Easily the best movie of 2011. And a slap in the face to those who say that Shahrukh Khan is losing his fire.

Final Verdict: 9.5/10

Movie Review: Chalo Dilli

Starring: Lara Dutta, Vinay Pathak
Director: Shashant Shah
Original Release Date: April 29, 2011

*No Spoilers*

For me, Chalo Dilli was the surprise of the season. I wasn't expecting much from what seemed to be unexciting actors and a subpar storyline but what resulted was a light-hearted entertainer that kept the viewer fully engaged throughout.

Chalo Dilli revolves around hi-shi advertising executive Mihika Banerjee's (Lara) misfortunes as she tries to get to Delhi after a rerouted flight. She meets the annoying yet well-intentioned Manu Gupta (Vinay) who ends up becoming her "chipku" counterpart throughout the journey. What ensues is various mishaps putting Mihika in uncomfortable situations, unrealistic situations, and plain unfortunate events.

Lara's character, Mihika, didn't require much--it's nothing new to play an uptight, high class, modern woman. Somehow, Lara still manages to make the character likeable by delivering a favorable performance. Vinay truly shines in his performance. His comic timing was almost perfect causing multiple laugh out loud moments. The two were able to carry the entire film almost solely on their shoulders, which is a great feat. It was also fun to see Akshay Kumar in a small cameo.

The music was simply okay. The title track is actually quite catchy. Yana Gupta's item song "Laila O Laila" was a big disappointment. I really enjoyed the audio of the song (it grew on me after a while) and was excited to see the picturization of the song. Even for an item song, it was just trashy. Yana simply shook her goods and stripped (Seriously, Zeenat? You're offended by "Mit Jaaye Gham" but not this?). On top of that, a significant amount of the song was chopped off. Bad move for an item song.

For a comedy, Chalo Dilli was actually funny--which is refreshing. It did drag on for a bit (the portion with the bad guys and the jeep seemed unnecessary) but was overall able maintain it's comic pace. The movie also did a nice job of wrapping up literally every character's story.

Within the goofiness of the film was also a lesson in appreciating both rural and urban surroundings and stopping to enjoy the small joys in life. Chalo Dilli is a small gem hidden within a slew of mainstream blockbusters. Check it out if you're in the mood to be entertained by a simple, but sweet film.

Final Verdict: 8/10

Don 2 First Official Teaser!

I'm baaaaack! And with a bang, considering that the Don 2 promo finally came out today! After watching it multiple times, all I can say right now is that SRK ain't called the King for no reason!

This teaser has pretty much everything I wanted for Don 2. It looks polished and chic, Shahrukh is embodying his evil character with amazing style, it looks action-packed without being cheesy, and King Khan looks smokin'! Well, minus that long hair, which I'm seriously hoping won't last through the whole movie. Shahrukh's dialogue delivery is impeccable. It's amazing how much he's able to convey simply through his voice. I gotta say, I love evil SRK.

Don 2 has a lot to live up to. One of the reasons why Don was so good was that Farhan Akhtar was able to take a supposed "remake" and put in a completely unexpected plot twist at the end. Don 2 is going to be a completely different story. Will Farhan be able to make it as engaging, thrilling, and unexpected? Judging from this trailer, I honestly believe so.

I only have one complaint about Don 2 and its trailer/poster so far. WHAT is up with that font? The original Don font was simple and sleek. This graffiti art looking font for Don 2 looks like stuff that boys in my 7th grade class used to doodle. What is this, 1995? Whatever, the rest of the trailer is so good that I'm willing to ignore this little hitch.

Even though SRK completely overpowered this teaser, I'm still excited to see what Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta are gonna bring to the story. First of all, how does Roma (PC) even factor in to the story considering the ending of the last film? Who's side is Lara on? So many questions--which will be answered once Don 2 comes out this Christmas. Have I mentioned how excited I am?