Don (1978)

One of the classic masala films of the 1970s, Don is a magnificent showcase for the lanky charm of Amitabh Bachchan in his prime.

The title character is a powerful lieutenant in an international smuggling ring.  Early in the film the body count mounts - and so does Don's arrogance, as he utters the film's famous line, Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahin - namumkin hai:  "It's not just difficult to catch Don - it's impossible."  Soon, though, Don is not just caught but killed, and the police official who is the only witness to his death hatches the cunning plan of hiring a doppleganger to infiltrate Don's gang and collect intelligence.  Enter Vijay, a rough, uneducated, paan-chewing Bombay street performer who just happens to be a dead ringer for the departed Don.  Vijay must now convince the gang that he is Don - and, after his patron's death, convince the police that he isn't. 

Improbable?  Sure.  But never mind - Don is a thoroughly fun ride.  Throw in the beautiful Zeenat Aman as the tough-as-nails, steely Roma, who infiltrates Don's gang to avenge her brother's death, and one of the funkiest, best soundtracks of the era, and it's no wonder this film is a classic.  The wheels come off a bit in the film's final third as the plot holes stretch a little wider than they should and the action scenes strain the suspension of disbelief.  Still, Don is precisely the kind of escapist fantasy that Bollywood excels at, especially in that era, and Amitabh has plenty of irresistable charm to make up for whatever shortcomings may exist in the script.  And it's all in good fun - with its tightrope escapes from tall buildings, improbable urban car-chases, and exploding suitcases, Don never takes itself too seriously.   

Amitabh has a challenge here, playing not just two roles but three:  suave and menacing as Don, goofy and energetic as Vijay, and something more complex as Vijay-playing-Don.  He falters a bit in this third role, but has enough shining moments to sustain the film.  Zeenat Aman, too, has enough presence to stand up to Amitabh, who could easily overwhelm a lesser heroine.  She's a real treat in Don, rocking the short hair and pantsuits, kicking ass and taking names.

Don's soundtrack is packed with great tunes and classic picturizations, like "Khaike paan banaraswala," in which Vijay, exhausted from playing Don and then trying to clear his name, finally gets to cut loose in his own element.  Zeenat struts in "Jiska mujhe tha intezaar," Roma's declaration of vengeful intent.  I love Kishore Kumar's triumphant vocals on the energetic "Main hoon Don," the melody of which provides the film's pulsating theme.  And, like all great films of the era, there is even a Helen item number. 

Don is bumpy and unpolished compared to its slick, modern revival, Don: The Chase Begins Again.  But in many ways it is a lot more fun than Farhan Akhtar's dark retelling of his father's tale, and the plot holes, inconsistencies, and downright "WTF?" moments are more easily forgivable in the tongue-in-cheek, low-budget context of a 1970s classic than they are in a high-tech, high-tone modern production in which no expense was spared.  That double standard may be unfair, but it's impossible to avoid.  If I found this original version a shade more enjoyable, it is as much a function of my own biases - my general preference for oldies - as it is a reflection of anything about the two films.  I will always take Amitabh over Shah Rukh Khan, Zeenat over Priyanka Chopra, Kishore over Udit Narayan - and Akhtar baap over Akhtar beta.  It's just not a fair fight.

Comments

[magy_15]

Haven't seen either Don yet (I'll get to it eventually, I'm sure), but based solely on songs found on youtube.....

New Yeh Mera Dil is better than old. This surprised me. I was expecting the opposite, but Kareena actually did pretty well and Big B was almost expressionless.

New Khaike pan is better than old. In this case, both actors were adequate. I think the choreography of the new one is more fun.

Jiska mujhe tha intezaar in the old Don was smokin'! Unlike in Yeh Mera Dil, Big B came alive.

[carla]

Magy, thanks for your comment! These things are very much a matter of opinion. :) I think that the new "Yeh mera dil" and "Khaike paan" range from bad to awful, as I mentioned in the review of the new film.

On the original "Yeh mera dil," Amitabh was was bored and trying to leave; in contrast to Shah Rukh, who was receptive to Kareena's advance and not in a hurry to get anywhere. So seeing the clip in context might change your perspective a bit.

As I said in my review, I'd take Amitabh over Shah Rukh any day, so the new songs are already starting with a handicap. Add to that the damage that SEL did to two of the best classic songs there are, and, well, that's my opinion.

[Daddy's Girl]

It really is a matter of personal taste, I agree with you on that. Like you, I absolutely love the oldies - I even have an entire blog dedicated to all things Dharmendra-related (although it's actually more like all things Bollywood-related). I love the magic, the music, just the entire feel of the oldies, but I must admit that I did like the new 'Don' very much, just as much as the old one... and (shhh..) maybe even more. I like SRK just as much as I like Amit-Ji as well... and I love Amitabh Bachchan A LOT, so that's saying something. And although I didn't like Kareena in 'Yeh Mera Dil' (very dodgy dancing), I loved SRK in 'Main Hoon Don'. I just thought the film was super-cool. But I digress. I actually came on to tell you how much I love your blog and that I'll be a regular visitor - I love the way your love for film shines through.

[carla]

Thanks for the kind comments Daddy's Girl - I left a couple on your site as well and have added you to my list of links over on the right.

New Don v. Old Don - this is one of those debates, I think, that will rage until the end of time. I give New Don credit because I liked it *much* more than I expected to. But given my innate preference for the classics, it won't ever take the top spot for me.

[Amit]

Oh, me thinks it's difficult to top Helen in "Yeh Mera Dil". Kareena Kapoor doesn't even come close to matching her sexiness in that song. Big B looked bored because he'd already had his fun with Helen and wanted to get going.

And, only in a Bollywood movie can an actor with a limp walk a tight-rope wearing shoes and carrying his kids in each arm!! Such fun.

~Amit

[Meera]

Nothing will match the original Don! It was a very entertaining movie. Amitabh at his best especially in the scene where he tells helen after the song Yeh mera dil, "Bahar tumahare saarey Aunty khadey hein" meaning the cops. What a cool scene!

Also the scenes where zeenat aman is trying to get her revenge on the other amitabh who is pretending to be the don and the song "jiska mujhey tha intezaar". Kishore kumar's songs were really good in the movie.

I am not even tempted to watch a single scene from the new Don although I own the DVD!

[ayush]

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[hilly hill]

original don ,it's foolish to compare with sarukh khan's don..................