One thing I have to admit- Farhan Akhtar and Shahrukh Khan have done much better in this sequel, as compared to their original (or ‘duplicate’ according to which side you are on!). Their first effort suffered in comparison to the evergreen Amitabh classic, which despite its 70s’ production values was much better than a much more lavishly mounted post-millennium version. Akhtar gave his film a twist in the tale and kept the channels open for a sequel. The ‘bad’ Don escaping by killing/impersonating the ‘good’ Vijay was Akhtar’s way of establishing a different Don. (Yes, in the post-millennium world evil triumphs over good!)

The sequel now gives Akhtar and Shahrukh full scope to show the ‘bad’ side of Don, without bothering to contrast it with the goodness of Vijay. So Shahrukh plays the Don as a cocky, sniggering, smooth-talking smart-ass with a penchant for martial arts. On his own, he surrenders to Roma (Priyanka Chopra) and enters a Malaysian jail to plot an international heist with his old foe Vardhan (Boman Irani). Will they accomplish their evil designs, all the while trying to second-guess and outsmart each other?

The first half of the film moves at a break-neck speed and keeps you involved. But the second half where the heist actually is planned and executed turns out to be quite tedious. It doesn’t help when the director also decides to show us some emotional complexities in the Don-Roma dynamics.

The film is all about Shahrukh and the rest of the cast just play the supportive roles. The ageing superstar does manage to deliver a cool performance and adds the right amount of menace and fun in his characterization.

The production values are impeccable with international locations and some spectacular stunts. But the story elements keep reminding you of n- number of Hollywood thrillers. Shankar-Ehsan-Loy’s music fails to enthuse.

Still all in all, it is a good weekend entertainer and definitely a better one than its predecessor!