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Our Tony defends himself on the DON articles

Here I am, back again for another dose of my weekly article/column for RS, and boy this week do I have a revolt on my hands. My email box is full, and I mean full, so full that my account with Hotmail got suspended because of so many emails being sent to me. Not only that, but the comments section in all of my DON articles, is massive - plenty of comments on how I feel about Don and what the general ‘janta’ feels about it. So this week my ASK TONY column is going to be dedicated to the ‘Aftermath of the Don’. What does that mean? Read on…

Sunny: Oh Tony what have you done. Your persistent columns about DON on radiosargam.com have opened up a can of worms. Can you please explain to me why you have disliked the movie so much?
Sunny my dear, the can of worms that has been opened, has indeed given me food for thought. What did I write about and why did I write this? I wrote about DON and how it has fared. Now there has been a little confusion here. Many of my readers think that I am talking about the Box Office feedback of this film. No, I am not. I am talking about the film in general, along with a little on the Box Office. I have written in my reports that DON will do well, and make lots of money for the producers, it has everything going for it. It is a remake of a classic, means a lot of older generation people will be going to see it, to see the comparisons and re-live old days. It has a young generation, fixated with hi-tech gadgets and over the top special effects, this film has that indeed - so they will also come to the cinemas. It has Shah Rukh Khan in the film, who always brings in the crowd, whatever kind of film it may be. And it has a director that has already a hit in his closet - Dil Chahta Hai, and any expect him to create wonders in the world of Bollywood. Now, why am I so against the film, and why do I keep writing such articles regards it? Well, a film that has so much going for it, should be an instant hit - should be regarded as a blockbuster. On the likes of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge, Gadar, and Sholay. But it is not. It is not even put in the same category of hits as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dil To Pagal Hai, Mohabbatein, Dhoom. It goes in the category of films such as Baazigar, Raja Hindustani, Bunty Aur Babli, No Entry. A film that had so much promotion going for it, why did it end up in such a category? Why? That is why I am so miffed with this film. And that is my answer to your question.

Anisha: Why did you blast the film in your reports when you gave the film 8/10 in your review?
Hmmm. Why did I indeed? Because when I watched the film I felt good. I felt real good. I enjoyed this film. I enjoyed it on the similar scale as I enjoyed Taxi No. 9211 and Bluffmaster. And that is why I rated the film so highly. If I go to watch it again, I will still enjoy it. Do not get me wrong, I like the film, it is one of the best films I have seen this year. But, it could have been so so better. I am not going to give the film a low rating on the basis what I think it may have been, or what the director could have made it. That is like ifs and buts. And I am not into that. I judge a film on the end product. And the end product here was 8/10. A good film. Not excellent, but good. But in my articles after the review, they are on what the film could have achieved, and why it didn’t. You have to agree with me when I say that this film had everything to make it a classic that could run and run. But somewhere someone let it down…. yes?

Ali: What are your thoughts on Farhan Akhtar and Shah Rukh Khan, since the release of DON, which you have blasted to kingdom come?
My thoughts on Farhan Akhtar were made clear in my letter to him. Enough said there. As for Shah Rukh Khan… well for me he is still the best actor in India right now. He pulled off two good roles in Don with ease. Many say Saif Ali Khan or Abhishek Bachchan could have done better. I think maybe, but Shah Rukh Khan did well - and he deserves a pat on the back for that. Of course he had the shadow of Amitabh Bachchan dwindling around him throughout the prodcution of DON, making him wonder what could happen, what could not, and that is a major negative point for any actor - to try and live up to a legend. If he had done really well - then many would have said “Oh Shah Rukh has just got one over Amitabh Bachcha, that is not good, he has insulted a legend” - he did not do that. He played to his own audience. He played his DON. He played his own Vijay. He played well. I admire him for even taking up the role in the first place. Many would not want to try to emulate the great Big B. It wasn’t Shah Rukh Khan in the wrong here, it was the Bossman himself - Mr Farhan Akhtar.

The above three questions were basically what I got in my mailbag - similar to these - and tons of them. I hope I have answered my critics - if you still have any questions for me on this DON debate, then put it in writing in the comments section below….

Adios!

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