Don 2 - Movie Review: Shahrukh - The King is Back

Superstar Shahrukh Khan and director Farhan Akhtar's previous movie Don: The Chase Begins Again was a blockbuster in 2006. After five years the duo has come back with its sequel, Don 2: The King is Back, which also marks SRK's return to anti-hero role. Before its release, the movie had created lot of curiosities among the audience. It do meet the expectation of the audience and Shahrukh once again rocks them as don.

Don 2 is an action thriller film and Shahrukh Khan's dazzling action is the major attraction in it. The stunning visuals, Jason West's wonderful camera work, classic action and thrilling chase sequences, stylish narration, hip and witty dialogues, spectacular locations, beautiful costumes are the other highlights of the movie. What does not work in the film is its songs composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

The movie has a stylishly crafted story, which is full of vigorous stunts. But one can deny the fact that Farhan Akhtar has borrowed several element of Hollywood films like Ocean"s Eleven, Die Hard, Mission Impossible and few others. Yet, it is a right package of entertainer for Indian movie-goers.

The film seems to have been made for the movie buffs, who love international thrillers. It is not surprising if viewers go to sleep in the first hour of the film due to boring dialogues, long dance sequence and Hrithik Roshan's hilarious cameo. But the post-interval portion of the film is sure to hold the attention of the audience. The second half is an exciting ride with several adrenaline rush moments.

In Don 2, Don (Shahrukh) surrenders himself to the police (Om Puri, Priyanka Chopra), who send him to a Malaysian prison, where he meets his old foe Vardhan (Boman Irani). With his foe, Don escapes from the prison by mixing poison in food served to everyone there. Then they go to Berlin to rob the currency plates for which Don takes the help of a hacker (Kunal Kapoor).

Shahrukh Khan has played a wicked, debonair anti-hero in Don 2 and he has lived it up with gusto. He also impresses the viewers with varied looks in the film. As Roma, Priyanka Chopra has delivered a high order of performance. Although Lara Dutta's character has less scope, she also wins the audience's heart with her glamour. Kunal Kapoor, Om Puri, Boman Irani and others have also delivered good acting.

Don 2 is very rich in its production values and Jason West's cinematography is the major highlight in it.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music for songs is good but it is not up to the standards of the movie. Dialogues are another attraction of the film and they are sure to become catchphrases. The locations and costume also add to the beauty of the film. The editing is slick in the first half but it is ok in the second half.

Overall, Don 2 is a perfect entertainment package for this Christmas. After Ra.One, this movie holds a mirror to changing trends in Indian cinema. Don't miss to watch SRK's dazzling stunts.

Producer: Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani and Shahrukh Khan

Director: Farhan Akhtar

Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Om Puri, Kunal Kapoor, Boman Irani, Nawab Shah, Adi Putra, Alyy Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Sahil Shroff

Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy