Don - The chase begins again (2006).

Farhan Akhtar's comeback after Dil Chahta Hai.

Starring: Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani.

Written and Directed by: Farhan Akhtar.

Story: Salim Khan, Javed Akhtar.

"Ek Baat Samajh lo. Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi namumkin hai".

When translated, "Remember. It is not just difficult but rather impossible to catch Don".

As Don (Shahrukh Khan) says his famous line to Kamini (Kareena Kapoor) it ignites memories of Mr Bachchan's 1978 portrayal of Don. Don is an international mafia boss who is fast, agile, tough and most importantly intelligent. He has been on the most wanted list of Malaysia, India and almost every other country including UK. He acquires illegal drugs and similar substances from India and Pakistan and sells them in UK. He has two other main companions Singhania and Wardhan. Though Singhania and Don's profile with picture is on the records, Wardhan is still a mystery. One day cops get a tip on Don. Cop D'Silva (Boman Irani) is on a high speed chase with Don and Don gets injured in a car crash. In the hospital Don dies. D'Silva remembers a guy, Vijay, who looks like Don. With an idea and a plan he manages to get new Don into the hostile territory. Will Don be able to help D'Silva? What happens next? Who is Wardhan? Well Farhan Akhtar (director) has all the answers.

Though it is hard not to compare Shahrukh's Don to Mr Bachchan's I guess you can always appreciate Farhan's contribution to this remake. Farhan has kept the original script by Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. He has added a little tinge of citrus that not only adds a little flavor but also it smells different. Few sequences as the one with Kamini,were unchangeable. Farhan has written the closing scene and this is a classic example of character study. Very intelligent and to the exact point. No writing contribution from Farhan for Lakshya (2004) was very evident. Farhan totally went with his Father's (Javed) script on Lakshya. This time for Don he took over and his attempts are evident and are an essential part of the movie. Brilliant!

Sharukh Khan has done a great job in portraying the ruthless Don and the average Joe Vijay. Shahrukh knows that he cannot escape comparison with the original Don. But he has managed to get the attitude. Good job.

Besides being a remake this movie makes a lot of homages. The Fast and the Furious, Kill Bill, Mission Impossible, Entrapment and Matrix. Thanks to Farhan for that as well. Boman Irani is believable as a tough cop after cheesy roles of Munnabhai series. Priyanka Chopra as Roma is a good fit for her beauty. She does some fight sequences as well. Not bad. Arjun Rampal as Jasjeet should have been reconsidered. Shankar-Ehasaan-Loy's music is good to the ears. Their contribution to the basic tunes is appreciable. Overall this movie is quite above the average bollywood movie. Should be viewed at least once.

My rating: 7/10.