The twist in the tale given by Farhan Akhtar in his 2006 remake of the 1978 cult classic “Don” is naturally what facilitates taking the story forward — unlike in the Bachchan blockbuster, it was shown that the actual Don remained alive and the bumpkin imposter died.

After the sequel-friendly climax of that Akhtar film, everyone has progressed: Don is still wanted but never caught, invincible even to enemies who want to eliminate him. Drug king of Asia, he now looks at conquering Europe. The drug peddlers unite to kill him, but Don destroys their hired assassins in Bond fashion in Thailand. Roma (Zeenat in the original) is now an Interpol officer posted in Switzerland.

He moves swiftly to Europe, courting voluntary arrest so as to touch base with old enemy Vardhan (Boman Irani) in jail. Resisting attacks to kill him there by Vardhan, he tells him that he has come in solely to get him out for a mega-heist. 

From here, it’s a rollercoaster of betrayals, double-crosses and action till the climax, where Don is arrested and once again escapes, followed by a surprise twist. 

Don as a cult screen character is almost incidental in Farhan Akhtar’s action-athon that is like a Bond film in which Bond is the anti-hero. The action spans across Thailand, Malaysia, Switzerland and Germany and is so relentless that there is barely a dull moment even in the relatively languid first half. The plus side is that the character graphs are very consistent and there is no apology for Don’s evil streak.

The action is spectacular indeed and Nakul Kamte’s sound is superb. Jason West’s camerawork ranks as probably the finest in a great year in that department — West even appears in a cameo as a drug dealer. The script (Farhan Akhtar with Ameet Mehta and Ambrish Shah) is tight and consistent, once licenses are given in the right places for suspension of disbelief, beginning with the prominent positions occupied abroad by bankers, Interpol officers and even hired assassins around the world!

The sore points are the dialogues (Farhan Akhtar) which are tepid vis-à-vis the needs of the subject, and atrocious music and lyrics.

Shah Rukh Khan, looking fresher than as “…Khan” and “RA.One,” is very good and gets into the canon, because this Don is not the golden-hearted country bumpkin. Boman Irani is brilliant as Vardhan. The hitch is that no one else has a well-defined role, though Priyanka Chopra, Alyy Khan, Nawab Shah and Kunal Kapoor impress. Sahil Shroff as Priyanka’s colleague is a pleasant persona. But Lara, Om Puri and Hrithik Roshan in a cameo are wasted.

If you can forget the old “Don” and watch this one as a standalone story of an amoral criminal, you will enjoy this one. Otherwise, stay away. Desi audiences also may not savor the complexities of the hi-tech aspects and the intentional coldness and heaviness sans relief. In any case, despite the Christmas week and SRK’s pull, recovery of Rs. 105 crore despite 3,500 screens will be an uphill task.