When today one hears the name Farhan Akhtar, one tends to think of Farhan, the actor after his outstanding performances in Rock On!! and Luck By Chance. But we cannot forget that this fabulous actor is an amazing director as well. He is the man behind the great films Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya and Don. In 2011, he has worn both hats: he starred in one of the best and most entertaining films of the year Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, and he will end with a BANG! as a director with Don 2, of course starring Shah Rukh Khan.
While writing the first installment, Farhan couldn’t think of anyone else for the part but Shah Rukh Khan. “Shah Rukh Khan was always on my mind. I wanted him in the movie and luckily he liked the script. It is useless to think of anyone else as Don. He really fits the bill.”
Initially, Farhan wasn’t hell bend on giving Don, which released in 2006, a sequel. Now he regrets saying that he would not make a sequel. “I feel guilty for saying that I would not do a sequel. When the film released everyone asked me about the sequel. They wanted to see what happened next. My obsession with the character got the better of me, so I decided to write the story. With amazing help and support and almost a sharing of vision with Ritesh and Shah Rukh and the rest of the team, I could not help but make Don 2. And now I am happy with the sequel,” says Farhan.
So now that we are on the sequel-tour, can we expect a Don 3, if part 2 is a succes? “Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai. So who knows, maybe the story will go further with sequels. It will be fun making them,” adds Farhan.
Whatever script Farhan writes, he will always let his father read it first. So naturally, Javed Akhtar, also gave his inputs for this film. “He is a gem, a legend and the right person to take suggestions from. He is so experienced and artistic and when I have access to him why not use it?
In the 2006 film, Farhan had retained some of the dialogues from the original, such as Don ko Pakadna Mushkil Hi Nahin, Namumkin Hai. For the sequel he has tried his hand on some new Don lingo and introduces these each friday with a new trailer. “While writing dialogues and thinking about the style of the dialogues, I knew that the approach has to be to write it in a way that films of the 70s were written, where people spoke with a bit of theatrical sense. There was a lot more drama in the lines. So I maintained that. It makes the film sound different. It will take you back to that golden dialogue era. It takes you back to the times when you got to see films like this where you know every dialogue was a dialogue. There are fun lines in the film, and hopefully people will enjoy.”
A few weeks back a song appeared on the internet claiming to be from the Don 2 soundtrack. Farhan denied this on Twitter. But he does admit being scared of piracy. “I am not afraid because we are working with people whom we trust. Yet if such things happen we can’t stop it. The only thing every producer is afraid of is piracy. All we can do is request people not to see pirated films,” says Farhan.
Does he feel nervous about high expectations? “I have made the movie with honesty and hard work. Now it is up to people if they like it or not. I hope people will like it,” concludes Farhan.
Don 2, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Om Puri, Lara Dutta and Kunal Kapoor is all set to release on 23 December in 2D and 3D formats.
Check out this brand new still!
