I had written about the Don being remade by Farhan Akhtar nearly a year back and then said that it wouldn’t work because
The biggest reason for these two remakes(ed: Sholay, Don) not going to work is that unlike Sanjay L Bhansali, or Vidhu Chopra(or whoever directed Parineeta), these folks have chosen stuff that is mostly fresh in the minds of people – and that is the biggest challenge – which was why, until small B found his niche, he just couldnt do things Big B was doing/had done!
Well, Farhan Akhtar has almost proved me right – going from the previews at least. The storyline, though set outside of India, apparently, retains the same characters, and remains mostly true to the original. And Farhan Akthar has made the crucial mistake of retaining the old songs, but in their own 2006 versions.
The result? Each of the old songs sounds like a badly remixed version more suited to be produced by someone like Instant Karma, or some silly DJ, than a major bollywood movie! Main hoon don , Yeh mera dil are bad, bad copies of the original, in pure musical terms. The videos are quite rotten too.
Kareena Kappor is so much like a lifeless doll in “Yeh Mera Dil” that you wonder if the folks making it, and then retaining it, also made the campaing for the CBZ Xtreme!
In SRK’s imagery of the Don dunking champagne onto himself, its not the Don we see, but SRK of Darr, Baazigar, DDLJ. The character has been sacrificed for the star – and what a bad sacrifice it has been. Coming after SRK’s performances in recent movies like Kal Ho Na Ho, Main Hoon Na, Veer Zaara, Swades, this one is regrettable.
Then, that song.
Khaike Paan Banaraswallah is amongst the best songs to come from the 70s. Everything from the Banarasiya lingo, to the dance, the music is spot on. What we get in this movie is a remixed version that will make Kishore Kumar, Anjaan(lyricist) and KalyanJi (of Kalyanji-Anandji) turn in their graves. And the video has SRK playing an idiot wannabe.
It is such an insult to fans of the movie, and the song to be foisted upon with such utter rubbish. I just hope(against hope) it puts an end to crappy remakes of cult classics.
shashi
3 years ago
Mind you….’Main hoo don’ is not remix of old song. SEL only copied hook line(only words ‘main hoo don’ otherwise everything is new). Its totally new song wich is rocking (It seems like you haven’t heard old as well as new song)
Sukhi
3 years ago
Shashi,
It seems like you havent heard of the words remix, version or copy. Nor read my post correctly.
cheers
shashi
3 years ago
“Main hoon don , Yeh mera dil are bad, bad copies of the original, in pure musical terms”
That’s why I said…
Main hoo don is not at all (in any sense) copy of original. Its totally different. Neither tune nor orchestrisation is copied. Only hook line is copied….
Raj
3 years ago
The background theme of the original “Don” has been used for the new “Main Hoon Don” song. Being one of Don’s biggest fans, I just can’t digest the fact that the legendary background music (chase theme) has been adapted so badly. I DON’T mind remixes but the adaptation by Shankar et al is pathetic. To complete the disaster, the lyrics cannot be anymore lifeless — not sure if it made sense – but I’m sure the real Dons will understands
Raj
3 years ago
….will understand (pardon the typo in the post)