2006 Indian film directed by Farhan Akhtar
Don: The Chase Begins Again, better known simply as Don, is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film co-written and directed by Farhan Akhtar. The film was produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under their production company Excel Entertainment. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan as the titular anti-hero and Priyanka Chopra as Roma, while Arjun Rampal, Isha Koppikar, Boman Irani, Pavan Malhotra, and Om Puri appear in supporting roles. Kareena Kapoor Khan makes a guest appearance. Don is a reboot of the 1978 film of the same title, and follows the titular criminal's look-alike who has been sent on a clandestine mission to impersonate Don after he is wounded in a chase, and to gather intelligence on the drug mafia.
Akhtar sought to remake the film with a contemporary style, while paying homage to the original and cinema of the 1970s. After acquiring the remake rights, he developed the project as a modern reinterpretation of the earlier film. Akhtar co-wrote the screenplay with his father Javed Akhtar, who co-wrote the original script with Salim Khan. While retaining the basic plot, the remake introduced several changes, including an international setting and different climax. Principal photography began in Mumbai, and later moved to Malaysia, where most of the film was shot. The soundtrack was composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.
Don: The Chase Begins Again was released on 20 October 2006, coinciding with Diwali. The film was a major commercial success, grossing ₹106 crore (US$13 million) worldwide against its budget of ₹40 crore (US$4.7 million), emerging as the fifth highest-grossing Hindi films of 2006. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the action sequences, soundtrack, production design, cinematography, and performances of Khan and Chopra. The twist ending was particularly well received by critics and audiences, helping the film be viewed as a distinct reinterpretation rather than a remake of the original.
Don won Best Asian Film at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival. The film also received 9 nominations at the 52nd Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Actor (Khan).
A sequel titled Don 2 was released on 23 December 2011.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.