Don: The Chase Begins Again | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Farhan Akhtar |
Screenplay by | |
Based on | Don (1978) by Salim–Javed |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | K. U. Mohanan |
Edited by |
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Music by | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy |
Production company | |
Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 169 minutes[2] |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Budget | ₹38 crore[3] |
Box office | ₹106.34 crore[3] |
Don: The Chase Begins Again, better known simply as Don, is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Farhan Akhtar. The film was produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Akhtar's 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 appears in supporting roles.[4][5] Kareena Kapoor makes a special appearance. Don is a remake 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.
In remaking the film from a new perspective, Akhtar wanted to give a contemporary style and treatment to the original film and make a film that he believed would be perfectly suited to modern times. The director later bought the rights and conceived his adaptation as an homage to the original film and its cast and crew, and to the 1970s era in general. He co-wrote the screenplay with his father, Javed Akhtar, who had also written the original script with Salim Khan. He kept the basic plot but introduced some changes that included an international setting and a different ending. Principal photography commenced in Mumbai, before moving to Malaysia, where 80% of the filming was done. The soundtrack was composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.
Don: The Chase Begins Again released on 20 October 2006, coinciding with the festive season of Diwali, clashing with Jaan-E-Mann starring Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta. It proved to be a major commercial success, grossing over ₹1.06 billion at the box-office against a production and marketing budget of ₹400 million, thus becoming the fifth highest grossing Hindi film of 2006. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its action sequences, soundtrack, production design, cinematography, and Khan and Chopra's performances. The twist ending gained massive praise from critics and audiences who then saw the movie as its own movie rather than a remake of the original. Khan returned to playing the villain, after a decade, having played the villain in four films prior to this, starting with Baazigar, and last being Ram Jaane.
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.