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Don Twitter Review: 5 Tweets To Go Through Before Watching This Sivakarthikeyan Starrer

Cibi Charavarthy's directorial debut, action-comedy Don starring Sivakarthikeyan and Priyanka Mohan, is finally hitting the screens today (May 13) after a long hiatus. Owing to the line-up of big-budgeted films Lyca Productions has been associated with, the release of Don was postponed from March to May.

In the film which marks the second collaboration of the lead actors after Doctor, Sivakarthikeyan is depicted as an inquisitive college student out on a quest to find his true calling. On the other hand, the student is also a troublemaker.

Don 's trailer which was released on May 6, had garnered positive pre-release buzz. The film has music rendered by Anirudh and the songs have become chartbusters. On this note, the lyrics of the hit song 'Party' were penned by the actor himself, which became an instant YouTube hit.

The movie also has SJ Suryah, Radha Ravi, Samuthirakani, and Soori among others in supporting roles. Don was certified a clean U by the Censor Board.

Produced by Lyca Productions in association with Sivakarthikeyan's SK Productions, Don has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander and KM Bhaskaran wielding the camera.

Finally Our industry got blockbuster movie #DON — 😎Mukesh 😎 (@itzMukeshVj) May 13, 2022

#Don : 1st half : fun fill 2nd half : Emotional Fully satisfied 👍 Blockbuster loading 👏 — Jagan Cool (@coollupdates) May 13, 2022

#Don My Rating 4.5/5 🥁 Really Good Film 💥 Jallabulla Junggu Is 100 Times Better Then Arabic Kuthu 👍🏻 SK Steals The Show 💥💥 Don >>>>>> Beast pic.twitter.com/1xAZyOh6Ge — AK🥁KISHORE (@VijayAnnaTroll) May 13, 2022

#DON Whattey fun ride with @Siva_Kartikeyan ❤️ All stuffs are extremly good, Vera level performance by @iam_SJSuryah Cutiee Pie @priyankaamohan & @sivaangi_k ❤️ Satify all the audience, Sure shot Hit #DonFDFS #NoNoNoFansClub 😍🙏 — குட்டி பையன் (@itzkuttyz) May 13, 2022

#Don #DonFDFS The SK and Samuthrakani combo scenes worked really well and the emotional stretch balances an otherwise totally fun filled film really well. Has something for all audiences 👍 Director cibi seems to have got the balance worked out well. https://t.co/DsZB33MZDv — Lohith Srinivas (@Lohith_06) May 13, 2022

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Home » News » Don Twitter review: Fans hail Sivakarthikeyan’s movie for its entertainment, emotions and message »

Don Twitter review: Fans hail Sivakarthikeyan’s movie for its entertainment, emotions and message

Don is the second collaboration between Sivakarthikeyan and Priyanka Mohan after Nelson Dilipkumar's Doctor.

• Akshay Krishna

Last Updated: 03.10 PM, May 13, 2022

Sivakarthikeyan’s Don hit theatres today after the fanfare that is now expected for all movies starring the Tamil actor. The movie, which is an entertainer, has received mixed to positive reviews from the critics. 

Fans who have now watched the movie from theatres are taking to social media to share their opinions and reviews of the movie. Fans who are on Twitter have taken to the social media platform to hail the movie for its entertainment value and comedy as well as address the emotions that have worked well. 

A number of fans have taken to Twitter to stress on the fact that the emotional side of the story has worked out a treat. Sivakarthikeyan had earlier said that Don is not a movie for just college students but for all, and that seems to be the case. 

The movie also seems to have made use of a lot of references from Tamil movies of superstars such as Rajinikanth and Vijay, and people who have seen the movie have enjoyed these parts from the collective reactions on Twitter. 

Written and directed by Cibi Chakaravarthi, Don also is the second collaboration of Sivakarthikeyan and Priyanka Mohan after their successful black comedy, Doctor, directed by Nelson. Don also features SJ Suriyah as the antagonist. 

Backed by Lyca Productions and Sivakarthikeyan Productions and with music by Anirudh Ravichander, Don is now playing in theatres near you. 

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Don Movie Review: Lack of finesse notwithstanding, this Sivakarthikeyan film is an effective entertainer

Rating: ( 3 / 5).

There are no half-measures in Don . There’s no subtlety either. And Don , self-aware, seems firm in its conviction that there is entertainment in simplistic writing and exaggerated performances that play to the gallery, even when actors sometimes break character. It’s a film about college life, and I couldn't help but draw a parallel between the film's eagerness to entertain and the reckless exuberance of youth. The college the film is set in is called… Best Engineering College. And you are introduced to it not through the usual, straightforward shot of Chakravarthy (Sivakarthikeyan) walking through its gate on the first day, but through an advertisement of the college that plays out in the theatre like the many advertisements that play before the screening of a film. This serves to amuse, and more importantly, position you, the viewer, against the college and towards the protagonist, Chakravarthy. Just like him, you dislike Bhoominathan (S J Suryah), the Discipline Head (an Umbridge-like position I didn’t even know colleges had). Just like him, you dislike his father (Samuthirakani). You don’t worry that Cibi, sorry, Chakravarthy has as many arrears as Bhoominathan has rules, and you don’t even worry that he is almost always on the cusp of dismissal. You are tethered to Chakravarthy’s perspective, and I enjoyed that this film, surprisingly, forces you to examine your own judgment of what happens for much of the film.

Director: Cibi Chakravarthi

Cast: Sivakarthikeyan, Priyanka Mohan, Samuthirakani, S J Suryah

Don is a celebration of the college spirit, and for the young, it’s timely, while for the old, it’s a whiff of good ol’ nostalgia. It reminds us of silly times when ‘TC’ used to be a dreaded word. And in hindsight, you realise that it wasn’t the possibility of dismissal that scared you, but the potential familial and social condemnation. You remember how teachers seemed heartless, how friends seemed above all else, how career choices changed ever so often… In Don , this last idea is likeably stretched till the end—and of course, Chakravarthy finds his passion—but I enjoyed that the film tries to normalise not knowing what you want to do, especially at an age where you know so little about the world… and yourself. Even while the film speaks, without breaking a sweat, of the many ridiculous expectations asphyxiating youngsters, it also covers college life in loving detail, including canteens and culturals, which manage to find meaning in the narrative as well. The canteen, for instance, gives Chakravarthy an effective way in which to rebel against Bhoominathan (SJ Suryah, in what can almost be called a guest appearance).

In a film that’s over 160 minutes long, it might have run the risk of seeming a bit plain after a while, but director Cibi is as restless as a college-going youngster—and I mean this as a compliment. By interval, the Chakravarthy-Bhoominathan conflict gets well-established, and it feels like there isn’t much else to it. And yet, the film soldiers on in enterprising ways during the other half. Bhoominathan’s solution for the Chakravarthy problem is clever and fitting of his purpose. Chakravarthy’s rebellious response results in the teachers having to write examinations, and this results in perhaps the film’s most entertaining phase with the student-teacher identities getting swapped. The director provides us all with a lot of catharsis for what we heard growing up in educational institutions, including that notorious response when you forgot something: “Saapda marandhiya?” (In an earlier riotous scene, Chakravarthy says yes, and goes away to eat). Or how about when Chakravarthy and friends sit next to a professor, staring into his eyes intently, while he’s writing an exam—as payback for when it used to be the other way round? These are hilarious portions and stand as testament of the director’s keen observations of college life.

It helps him that Sivakarthikeyan is terrific with such humour. Watch him as he stands defeated at around interval, dressed in uniform, and carrying books he has no interest in. Anirudh’s background score is simply the sad version of ‘ Baasha paaru ’, and for a minute, it’s easy to forget that this actor is a bonafide star—and this ability to make us forget that is this actor's strength. He can play not just a college student, but a school student as well. It’s well-known he is great at humour, but in this film, he shows a real interest in also climbing into the emotional portions, as evidenced by that final, unexpectedly moving, stretch.

Some of the writing is often a bit too eager to have an effect, and so, this film is prone to exaggerations in writing and performances from time to time. Chakravarthy’s father doesn’t like his son’s career choice, and his response is to bring home a mad man who has failed at the same career. It’s extreme, a bit too dramatic, but then, this film remains aware of this. In the very next scene, Chakravarthy’s friend says, “ Unakku manda kodaichal kudukarthukku unga appa room pottu yosipaar pola… ” It’s exactly what I was thinking too. 

However, all this self-awareness still doesn’t help sell Chakravarthy’s relationship with Angayarkanni (Priyanka). The humour is fine, but all she is, is the ‘ vellai nilaa ’, like he refers to her. She’s the usual crutch women are usually shown to be in these films, and even any objections she has about his refusal to own their relationship don’t amount to much. There are a couple of songs based on the two, with Anirudh’s ‘Private Party’ being a particularly enjoyable distraction.

Don may have the exterior of a fun, college film, but its core is made of solid emotion. Though our sympathies lie with Chakravarthy, the film remembers that he’s still a naïve, college student, who lacks the capacity to see the bigger picture. I liked the writing maturity in these spaces and enjoyed that nobody is truly evil in Don . The two ‘bad’ men, Chakravarthy’s father and Bhoomi, even evolve during this film. At a time when even heroes, played by stars, don’t evolve in films, it’s quite something to see supporting characters have an arc.

But wait, am I saying that Don is an example of tremendous storytelling? Does the film have anything revolutionary to communicate? The answer is no on both counts, but sometimes, the bigger question is, does the lack of finesse and novelty come in the way of entertainment? That would be a firm no from me.

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Don review: Sivakarthikeyan’s film is a predictable but likeable coming-of-age drama held together by good performances

Don review: the sivakarthikeyan-starrer campus drama is predictable but likable and relatable. it's samuthirakani who walks away with all the applause in cibi chakravarthy’s directorial debut..

In Cibi Chakravarthy’s debut film Don, which stars Sivakarthikeyan in the lead, drama works more effectively than the comedy. However, it's the comedy that makes up for about 80% of the movie. It’s the emotional core, anchored by a very strong father-son relationship angle, that makes the movie likeable and relatable more than the college portion, which could’ve been funnier. In an otherwise predictable film about the hero’s journey of self-exploration, it’s the latter half that gives it some semblance and makes it wholesome. Also read: Doctor strikes gold at box office, becomes Sivakarthikeyan's highest-grossing film with ₹ 90 crore collection

Sivakarthikeyan plays Chakravarthy, who is born in a lower middle-class family, which believes that their son becoming an engineer would change their lives for good. Samuthirakani plays Chakravarthy’s father--a disciplinarian, who only wishes that his son studies well and settles down in life. Chakravarthy, on the other hand, wants to make a name for himself without really studying. Due to their clash of opinions, there’s always a friction between the father and son.

Chakravarthy is forced to join an engineering college much against his wishes. To add to his misfortune, Bhoominathan (SJ Suryah), a faculty member, turns out to be tougher than Chakravarthy’s father and makes life miserable for the students with his rules. The rest of the story is about how Chakravarthy finds his calling and becomes something in his life.

Don is largely a campus drama and the film stays true to the genre for the most part. It opens with the scene where we see Chakravarthy leave Kerala on a rainy night, despite being warned by his staff, to reach Chennai the next morning at any cost. Through the course of the night, Chakravarthy takes us back to his college days and his strained relationship with his father. The college portion keeps the film light-hearted and some scenes work well but on the whole it could’ve been funnier.

The college portion reminded me of Sushant Singh Rajput’s Chhichhore and how it was enjoyable but still managed to inspire with its message. Don misses out on delivering the laughs, despite setting most of the story in a college campus. But what it succeeds in achieving is getting the drama to touch all the right chords. The father-son relationship makes for a very interesting sub-plot and it anchors the film when it sails off course.

As you walk out of the movie, you’re left on an emotional high and that makes you overlook the largely predictable first half of the movie. Even though you can sense how the film will end, it still leaves a lasting impact. Samuthirakani walks away with all the brownie points for his moving performance as a father who gives up on his own dreams to make sure his son stays happy. It’s not something we haven’t seen before but it’s likeable and highly relatable. Sivakarthikeyan is at his effortless self and undergoes a major transformation towards the end, and it’s something he handles so maturely.

Director: Cibi Chakravarthy

Cast: Sivakarthikeyan, SJ Suryah, Priyanka Arul Mohan and Samuthirakani

• Sivakarthikeyan

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Don Movie Review (2022)

Sivakarthikeyan's don movie review - film directed by cibi chakravarthi.

Don Movie Cast & Crew

Following the highly successful Doctor, Sivakarthikeyan is back with his next release, Don which has hit the screens today. Amidst huge expectations, this Cibi Chakaravarthi directorial, also starring SJ Suryah, Priyanka Mohan, and Samuthirakani,  is out and here's our take on the film. 

STORY :  Don traces the life story of Chakaravarthi (Sivakarthikeyan) from his teenage years to his early 30s, with the college life consuming 99% of the story. The film deals with Chakaravarthi's search for the purpose of his life, his passion and how his Principal Boominathan (SJ Suryah) and father (Samuthirakani) act as villains.  Who among the three ended up winning and how did college life shape up Chakaravarthi's personal life forms the crux. 

SCREENPLAY, DIALOGUES, & DIRECTION:  Debut director Cibi Chakravarthi sticks to his basics and succeeds to a great extent in presenting a fun entertainer. He has packaged the film in a commercially likeable pattern and interestingly, has incorporated several contemporary pop culture references. The college moments in Don are highly enjoyable and director Cibi thoughtfully delivers some really interesting scenes. The second half, especially, is a solid roller coaster of emotions. Once the film picks up from the midpoint, there is no look back at all and director Cibi delivers an interesting scene one after another. The entire short film sequence inside the college is a fun riot.

The comedy and emotions work in tandem, giving us a joy ride. While coming out of the theatre, there are high chances that you come out with a smile, feeling content. Samuthirakani's character has the potential to connect really well with the youth audience and Cibi has conceived the father-son relationship in an appreciable manner. The best part about Don is that it has its heart in the right place. Director Cibi has cleverly handled the emotions understanding the pulse of the audience and it looks like Kollywood has got a promising filmmaker. Kudos to Sivakarthikeyan for finding Cibi and trusting in his ideas. When the majority thought Don would be a time pass entertainer, SK, Cibi, and their team have surprised us with some thoughtful takeaways.

While the film is majorly positive and is a winner, there are a few minor issues that could be let go. The film starts off on a slower note and you need to wait for the moments to kickstart. The romantic portions in the second half, being a commercial addition, slightly seems out of place. The rain-car drive sequences that come in between the college portions could've probably been executed in a much more impactful manner with better technical finesse. 

CAST:  Sivakarthikeyan tops the game with a very impressive performance and with a delightful and charming screen presence, he makes you sit through. Be it fun, comedy, romance, or emotions, he gives it all for the film. SJ Suryah is a complete livewire. He delivers a terrific performance that stands out as one of the best aspects of the film. SK and SJ Suryah together strike a good equation and it is their collaborative effort that makes the proceedings interesting.

Samuthirakani puts out yet another earnest performance as Don's father and the last 30 minutes surrounding his character is a surprise package. Priyanka Mohan is natural and likeable in a sweet role that acts as a support system to the protagonist. Vijay, Bala Saravanan, Munishkanth, Sivaangi, Kaali Venkat, and the rest of the supporting cast are fine in their respective roles. 

TECHNICAL:  Anirudh Ravichander's songs pack the punch, while the background score also lends fair support, especially in the emotional sequences. KM Bhaskaran's visuals look glossy and give the film a neat outlook. Except for the unsteady transition between the college moments and rain-car drive, Nagooran's edit comes in handy. 

SO?  With the college fun moments and emotions working effectively, supplemented by strong performances, this Don will be loved by the masses!

Verdict: Don is a complete joy ride from Sivakarthikeyan and Cibi! A sureshot winner! 

Galatta Rating: ( 3 /5.0 )

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DON MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

Don is a film written and directed by debutant Cibi Chakravarthi and produced by Allirajan Subaskaran under the banner Lyca Productions. The film has Sivakarthikeyan, SJ Suryah and Priyanka Arul Mohan in the lead roles while Samuthirakani, Soori, Radha Ravi, RJ Vijay, Bala Saravanan, Sivaangi Krishnakumar, and others in crucial supporting roles. It has music by Anirudh Ravichander and cinematography by KM Bhaskaran.

Chakravarthi (Sivakarthikeyan) is a person whose aim is to find what his aim in life is. After being forced into engineering by his father (Samuthirakani), he sets out to discover his talents. He meets his childhood love interest Angaiyarkanni (Priyanka Arul Mohan) and falls in love with her again. Amidst all this, his actions leads to him clashing with Boominathan (SJ Suryah), the discipline incharge. How he overcomes Boominathan's wrath and realises his dream forms the rest of the plot.

When the trailer of Don came out, it seemed like the film is an out and out entertainer, that will have the usual 'Engineers are the most affected species in this planet' emotions and jokes. And for most part of the film, it does seem like that. Chakravarthi and his friends (played by RJ Vijay and Bala Saravanan) seem to have mindless fun. Although a few scenes make you question the logic, you don't seem to mind it because of the humour.

However, the final act of the film provides us something else rooted deeply in father-son sentiment and it tugs our hearts as well. In fact, this final act is so strongly written that it makes you forget whatever happened in the film before. Even Sivakarthikeyan's performance in this final act makes this his best performance so far.

In the other portions, we see the Sivakarthikeyan that we've seen all this while - carefree, cracking jokes, mimicking other stars to perfection and what not. The college culturals portions give him the space to return to his entertainer mode last seen in his television days. The writing in the film can be tagged into two - the first two hours being smart, banking Sivakarthikeyan's skills, while the last thirty minutes or so is all about the actor surrendering completely to the director.

Apart from Sivakarthikeyan, SJ Suryah holds our attention with his eccentric portrayal of Boominathan. He has brought forth the same quality of acting he showed in his previous outings Maanaadu and Nenjam Marappathillai. Among the other actors, Samuthirakani, Priyanka, Sivaangi, Vijay, Bala Saravanan, and Aadhira's performances stand out, delivering exactly what's needed.

Anirudh's background score is the spine of the film. The instrumental version of the song Jalabulajangu, which is being used at various places is an interesting choice and it works out wonderfully. The editor Nagooran too deserves praise for the way the film has been cut. The cinematography by KM Bhaskaran could have been more innovative.

Overall, Don entertains and engages you with the humour running high in a lot of scenes. The performances do justice to Cibi Chakravarthi's writing with Sivakarthikeyan leading from the front. The film is family friendly and the message that the film holds is conveyed in a non preachy way. Don will be definitely an engaging watch.

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பிரேக்கிங் சினிமா செய்திகள், திரை விமர்சனம், பாடல் விமர்சனம், ஃபோட்டோ கேலரி, பாக்ஸ் ஆபிஸ் செய்திகள், ஸ்லைடு ஷோ, போன்ற பல்வேறு சுவாரஸியமான தகவல்களை தமிழில் படிக்க இங்கு கிளிக் செய்யவும்      

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"உண்மையான டான் உதயநிதி சார் தான்" - சிவகார்த்திகேயன் கலகலப்பான பேச்சு - வீடியோ!!

Sivakarthikeyan's Don to stream on this popular platform - exciting news!

ஆஹா..DON படத்தின் OTT ஒளிபரப்பு உரிமை.. கைப்பற்றிய முன்னணி நிறுவனம்! போடு வெடிய

தனது குருநாதர் அட்லிக்கு நன்றி சொன்ன DON பட இயக்குனர்.. இதான் காரணமா? சூப்பர் தகவல்

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என்ன மட்டும் love பண்ணு bujji🥰செம cute-ஆ i love you சொன்ன amit😍 #starsinger #behindwoods #shorts videos, other movie reviews.

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Don (U) 13/May/2022 Action, Love 2hrs 43mins

Critics Review

Harmeless emotional entertainer.

On and off in terms of engagement, there are some solid fun theatre-friendly elements at places, but overall a brisk screen-writing and proper links between one scene and another would have made it an effective film. Nevertheless, conveys a good message for all age groups without stressing the base emotions too much. (more)

Source: Ashwin Ram, MovieCrow

A formulaic but entertaining drama

Cibi Chakaravarthi's conviction carries the film over the finishing line and ensures that despite his some what formulaic treatment of this material, the film remains largely entertaining. (more)

Source: Suganth, Times Of India

Sivakarthikeyan's film is a mindless entertainer with a message

Don is a mindless entertainer with a moving message. With brilliant comedy sequences and pulsating songs, Don is strictly a theatre watch. (more)

Source: Janani, India Today

Don is a complete joy ride from Sivakarthikeyan and Cibi! A sureshot winner!

With the college fun moments and emotions working effectively, supplemented by strong performances, this Don will be loved by the masses! (more)

Source: Aravind Sundaram, galatta.com

Sivakarthikeyan's well-intentioned film is bogged down by commercial clich's

The film's strength lies in its emotional core, which sadly still holds a lot of relevance in the Indian context. The performances largely bring this inherent 'truth' to the front. Sivakarthikeyan, Samuthirakani, and SJ Suryah give compelling performances that almost make us forgive the contrivances and exaggerations in treatment. Well, almost. (more)

Source: Ashmeera Ayyappan, Firstpost.com

Sivakarthikeyan's entertaining show and Cibi's writing makes Don ensure 'Jolly Mela Maza Aayega'

Don entertains and engages you with the humour running high in a lot of scenes. The performances do justice to Cibi Chakravarthi's writing with Sivakarthikeyan leading from the front. The film is family friendly and the message that the film holds is conveyed in a non preachy way. Don will be definitely an engaging watch. (more)

Source: Behindwoods, Behindwoods.com

Sivakarthikeyan is in his element in this pleasant campus drama

Another good quality of Don is it is not one-sided. The coming-of-age campus drama is all about the protagonist learning there are no villains in his life. There are only well-meaning people with different life experiences. The guilt trip in Don is enormous, it may even well up your eyes a few times. But, it all ends well and leaves you with a good mood and satisfaction, something that we have missed in movies for a long time. (more)

Source: Manoj Kumar, Indian Express

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Don movie review: Sivakarthikeyan is in his element in this pleasant campus drama

Don review: the film is pleasant from the word go, thanks mainly to the charm of sivakarthikeyan. it is very easy to accept him in this role given the film also closely resembles the struggles he faced in real life before he became a movie star..

Don is the new entrant in a long series of movies that talk about Indian parents’ obsession with making their children engineers. Sivakarthikeyan’s Chakaravarthi hates his father. And he has his reasons. Chakaravarthi’s father, played by Samuthirakani, is a working-class man, with old-fashioned parenting skills. He believes that there are not many parenting problems that can’t be solved with a tight slap across the face. Chakaravarthi is clever enough to know not to openly rebel against his autocratic father because all it will get him is bruises on his face. His rebellion is rather quiet. He refuses to honour his father’s wish for him to do well in his studies by willfully doing everything in his power to fail in his studies. Despite all his efforts, his father puts him in an engineering college and his rebellion only grows in scale and scope.

Chakaravarthi is not an aimless person. He has an aim and that aim is to find an aim in his life. Yes, it feels like a generous mix of 3 Idiots and Lakshya. Debutant director Cibi Chakaravarthi makes this cocktail by filling up the narrative with social commentary on the dated educational system and a feel-good romantic track. And then he mixes a sense of strong nostalgia, youthful exuberance, a dash of drama and serves it after garnishing it with a nice slice of vincible ignorance. It’s quite a familiar drink, nonetheless very enjoyable. There is something very comforting about familiarity, no?

Don is pleasant from the word go, thanks mainly to the charm of Sivakarthikeyan . It is very easy to accept him in this role given the film also closely resembles the struggles he faced in real life before he became a movie star. He infuses the character with a lot of conviction and palpable energy, which is very hard not to succumb to. The actor has brought his A-game to this film. From mimicry to his trademark tomfoolery, he keeps us invested in the story of Chakaravarthi.

Another good quality of Don is it is not one-sided. The coming-of-age campus drama is all about the protagonist learning there are no villains in his life. There are only well-meaning people with different life experiences. The guilt trip in Don is enormous, it may even well up your eyes a few times. But, it all ends well and leaves you with a good mood and satisfaction, something that we have missed in movies for a long time.

Don movie director: Cibi Chakaravarthi Don movie cast: Sivakarthikeyan, Priyanka Arul Mohan, S. J. Suryah Don movie ratings: 3

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Directed by Cibi Chakaravarthi

Students Assemble

A youngster who is still figuring out what his passion is gets into an engineering college where he clashes with a disciplinarian faculty.

Sivakarthikeyan Priyanka Arul Mohan S. J. Suryah Samuthirakani Soori Balasaravanan Mirchi Vijay Sivaangi Krishnakumar Munishkanth Kaali Venkat Raju Jeyamohan Gautham Vasudev Menon Radha Ravi Singampuli Aadhira Pandilakshmi Manobala George Mariyan Shariq Hassan Kavitha Bharathi

Director Director

Cibi Chakaravarthi

Producers Producers

Sivakarthikeyan Subaskaran Allirajah

Writer Writer

Editor editor.

Nagooran Ramachandran

Cinematography Cinematography

K. M. Bhaskaran

Production Design Production Design

K. Udaya Kumar

Stunts Stunts

Choreography choreography.

Shobi Paulraj Sandy

Composer Composer

Anirudh Ravichander

Songs Songs

Sivakarthikeyan Vignesh Shivan Rokesh

Sound Sound

G. Suren S Alagia Koothan

Costume Design Costume Design

Anu Parthasarathy Harikesh Nithya Venkadesan

Makeup Makeup

P. Ganapathi

Sivakarthikeyan Productions Lyca Productions

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

Malayalam Tamil

Releases by Date

12 may 2022, 13 may 2022, releases by country.

• Theatrical U

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Popular reviews

Review by jack ★★★★ 8

Okay but engineers kunja vidunga bro

Review by Michael James ★★★½ 1

A wholesome coming of age drama filled with interesting character sketches, lot of joyful nostalgic moments and feel good emotions. Though the movie rides on a familiar formulaic route with a few cringe hiccups, the director structures the narrative with conviction and effortlessly manages to blend his delightful ideas with enough fun-emotional elements in an enjoyable n easily relatable manner. Cultural sequence was a total laugh riot blast. The movie ends on a high note with it’s final 30 minutes easily being the best part of the drama.

Sivakarthikeyan as an entertainer is in top form in the school, college and romantic portions, but also has matured as an actor substantially, moving you strongly in the emotional final moments. SJ Suryah, Samuthirkani, Priyanka Arul Mohan and Bala Saravanan deliver impressive performances. Anirudh’s music was neat. Despite of a few duds, it’s a wholesome theatrical entertainer that leaves you with a fulfilling emotional experience when it’s all said and done.

Review by cinema_made ★★★

SK na back on track, choosing the script that suits his style. Don makes you laugh, feel nostalgic towards your college days and make you feel refreshed with a feel good story. Don made me go through the memory lane of my college days, and what I could not have done in my college, Don does it. Don gets it right about colleges, how they operate and pressure the students to force them engineering into their brain. It struck me good, what I have faced in my college. The director handled the film well by not taking the film seriously into story.

SK na's stature fits well into the character of Don and he makes a good comeback into his…

Review by VishalT ★★★½ 1

Was mind relaxing after a very hectic one month, got what I exactly expected. Enjoyed

Review by Kibriya⚡ ★★★

Brooo 😭 APPA SENTIMENT

Review by SarveshWurn ★★★★ 1

Unironically great

I still hate my father tho

Review by Vasanthan ★★ 4

Don is what ya get when you mix 3 Idiots with hell lotta old SK films lace it with template stock emotional moments and give it a meta twist like VTV. Plays out like this generation filmbros wet dream, be the last bench college popular student who doesn't have to study, nighmarish to the strict college lecturers, supportive gf, get inspired by GVM saar, make a short film that gets critical acclaim, become a big filmmaker in one song (Vikraman Saar 🙏). If only the film was half as interesting as some things I ve mentioned here. Understandly the director has made his own biopic, just wish he had the conviction to actually write some interesting scenes.

Everything about the…

Review by Rakshan ★★½ 1

Another tamil film which belongs to the “logic paakama irundha padam pudikum” category.

Review by Adithiyan Curioser ★★★½

Date: 13-05-2022 Day: Friday Time: 2.30 PM

"College la Professors pecha kekamaa, Last bench la ukkanthutu Comment adichutu Suthuravan laam Don illa. Vaazhkaila Thaan Yaarunu Thernjikitu atha adaiyuravan thaan Unmaiyaana Don!"

There's a line from this movie's song "Jalabulajangu" which goes like "Freeyaa Vudu College aa Bunk adichaalum" and I took that personally. As we didn't have anything interesting today in our college, we bunked and gone to First day first show of "Don" movie. It's surprising to see a great crowd for a Sivakarthikeyan movie on the first day hooting, cheering and laughing for a lot of scenes.

"Don" opens with a matured Chakravarthy (Sivakarthikeyan) driving across the rainy terrains of Idukki in the dark on the way to…

Review by Santhosh ★½ 1

Dae idhu unmaile micset video dhan da 😭😭. But in fairness it's exactly what they promised. Also Ani era 🙏

Review by Aiwin Joseph ★ 5

The extent they go to glorify toxicity

Review by Yadhu Krishnan ★★★½

Don is easily one of the most entertaining movies I have watched in Tamil Cinema this year. I rediscovered something that was was long prevalent in commerical kollywood movies. Almost 70% of the movie worked well for me - I laughed at lot of the college scenes, the jokes land well and they carefully used Soori without his usual mannerisms. I haven't had this much chuckle in a while.

There is nothing new in the narrative - the usual college drama but it still feels fresh to watch. The color grading is neat, even a simple shot looks interesting visually. SK is on a roll by giving good movies to the audience- Doctor, Don and one movie shy from a…

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‘Don’ movie review: Sivakarthikeyan stars in an ordinary comedy-drama that is unsure of its purpose

After a stoic detour from doctor , sivakarthikeyan is back laughing and crying, singing and dancing, but he still cannot salvage don’s humdrum affair.

Updated - May 13, 2022 05:19 pm IST

Published - May 13, 2022 02:21 pm IST

A still from ‘Don’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

When a principal character in Don makes a heartfelt apology to another, we see a poster in the background that says “Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit it.”

It is what the scene tries to communicate too, and it succeeds in doing that. But first-time filmmaker Cibi Chakravarthy zooms into the poster, lest we miss the message... he zooms in so much that there is no room for subtlety.

This example encapsulates the problem with the rest of the film too; it delivers its messages through hackneyed lines rather than the screenplay. Don wants to talk about two things: a) finding one’s talent in rule-ridden, needlessly stringent engineering colleges that seek to suck the fun out of its students, and b) celebrating our parents while they are still with us. Wait, how are these things even connected to each oth … let’s not get into that. 

Firstly, these issues are as novel to Tamil cinema as last-over finishes are to Chennai Super Kings fans (next season, guys… there is always a next season). Engineering colleges especially get attacked like a reluctant part-time bowler. Meanwhile, the Father Sentiment, though a relatively lesser-used weapon than the Mother Sentiment, can inflict sufficient cringe.

Secondly, the screenplay does not even care much about the things the film wants to talk about. Instead, it largely fills the time with the antics of its protagonist, Chakravarthy (Sivakarthikeyan) in his battle of one-upmanship over his college principal Bhoominathan (SJ Suryah). Even this conflict is properly established only after an hour into the film. Till then, we have to sit through a slew of face-palming, groan-inducing comedy. 

Samples for your perusal: a) SJ Suryah catches a couple romancing within the college. He shows a Dairy Milk Silk wrapper as an evidence to one of his assistants, Munishkanth. And, we hear S Janaki’s famous moaning sounds from ‘Nethu Rathiri Yamma’. Because Silk, ‘Silk’ Smitha… gettit? b) Sivakarthikeyan reconciles with Priyanka Arul Mohan after a conflict. He asks her out for a date. She says okay and proceeds to give him… a date fruit. <Insert straight-faced emoji>

We also get oneliners like, “Ex ku edhukku extra feelings?”, complaints about college canteen food, frustrations about ‘boy besties’... things that are supposedly the concerns of our youth. If the film contends that students in engineering colleges are facing a problem, we really don’t feel that.

Then, there is the underexplored father-son angle between Samuthirakani and Sivakarthikeyan. The film introduces Samuthirakani as an unloving dad, who seems perennially pissed off with son. He slaps his son on his first day at school. He shaves his head when the latter wants to sport a flamboyant hairstyle like his on-screen idol Rajinikanth. When the boy falls off his bicycle, he attends to the bicycle. It is an exaggerated version of how Samuthirakani behaves with Dhanush in the first half of Velai Illa Pattadhaari.

Just like in VIP , here too, he receives an outburst from his son for not being a good father . But the film, towards its end, tries to glorify this toxic parenting, showing scenes where his father suppresses his love only to not spoil his son. These father-son portions are also not well-fleshed out for a film that ends with a message about cherishing parents.

Bad vibes jaldi jaayega.. Peace dhaan bro tension jaayega! #DonFromToday @Siva_Kartikeyan 💥💥💥 @Dir_Cibi 🥳🥳🥳 @KalaiArasu_ @LycaProductions @priyankaamohan @iam_SJSuryah @thondankani @sooriofficial @SonyMusicSouth pic.twitter.com/bowirZnNCs — Anirudh Ravichander (@anirudhofficial) May 12, 2022

Priyanka Arul Mohan gets a heroic introduction, but largely exists in the film just to inspire the hero. The romantic sub-plot involving her and Sivakarthikeyan, too, comprises of generic scenes.

After a stoic detour in Doctor , Sivakarthikeyan is back laughing and crying, singing and dancing, and somehow makes the film bearable to an extent. Some of his scenes with SJ Suryah (whose character is also largely one-note) work well. Anirudh does musical gymnastics, trying to heavy-lift the scenes with his background score, but all these supporting elements fail to salvage a screenplay with a weak plot.

Upon entering the cinema hall for the 8 am show of this film, a fellow film-goer, who’d watched the 4 am show, offered his one-line review, unasked. “Padathula kadhai ellaam edhum illa, bro. Chumma jolly ah paakalaam.”

Well, at least one part of his review was right.

Don is currently running in theatres

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Tamil cinema / reviews

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Don Review: எஸ்.கே vs எஸ்.ஜே.சூர்யா - காலேஜ் கலாட்டாக்களும், சென்டிமென்ட்டும்... பாஸாகிறானா டான்?

எஸ்.கே ஆடும் பாடல்களில் அவ்வளவு எனெர்ஜி. எஸ்.ஜே.சூர்யாவிடம் சவால் விடுவது; சமுத்திரகனியிடம் மன்றாடுவது; மாணவர்களுடன் ரகளையாக இருப்பது என சிவகார்த்திகேயனுக்கு இதில் ஒரு கலர்ஃபுல் 'டான்' வேடம்.

கடைசி பெஞ்ச் மாணவருக்கும், ஆசிரியருக்கும் நடக்கும் ஈகோ யுத்தம் ஒருபுறம், தன் வாழ்க்கையின் லட்சியம் என்ன என்பதை ஒவ்வொருவரும் தேட வேண்டும் என்கிற மெசேஜ் ஒரு புறம் எனக் கலந்துகட்டி கதை சொல்கிறது சிவகார்த்திகேயன் நடிப்பில் வெளியாகியிருக்கும் `டான்'.

இந்தியாவின் எல்லா மிடில் கிளாஸ் தந்தைகளைப் போலவே, சக்கரவர்த்தியின் தந்தையும் அவரை பொறியியல் படிப்பில் சேர்க்கிறார். சும்மாவே படிப்பு வராத ஹீரோவுக்கோ, பொறியியல் இன்னும் மோசமானதாக மாறுகிறது. இது போதாதென கல்லூரியில் பூமிநாதன் என்னும் ஆசிரியரின் கண்டிப்பும் கடுப்பேற்றுகிறது. படிப்பைவிடவும் ஒழுக்கம் முக்கியம் என நம்பும் அந்த ஆசிரியரால் கல்லூரியே அல்லல்பட, மீட்பராக வருகிறார் சக்கரவர்த்தி.

இருவருக்குமான ஈகோ யுத்தம் என்ன ஆனது? மாணவர் சக்கரவர்த்தியின் எதிர்காலம் என்ன? அப்பா மகன் எமோஷனல் பக்கங்கள், காதல், குறும்பு என எல்லாம் கலந்து ஒரு வெரைட்டி பேக்கேஜாக வந்திருக்கிறது `டான்'.

டானாக சிவகார்த்திகேயன். கல்லூரி மாணவரின் கதாபாத்திரத்துக்கும், பள்ளி மாணவன் பாத்திரத்துக்கும் உடல் எடையெல்லாம் குறைத்து நன்றாக பொருந்திப் போயிருக்கிறார். எஸ்.கே ஆடும் பாடல்களில் அவ்வளவு எனர்ஜி. எஸ்.ஜே.சூர்யாவிடம் சவால் விடுவது, சமுத்திரக்கனியிடம் மன்றாடுவது, மாணவர்களுடன் ரகளையாக இருப்பது என அவருக்கு இதில் ஒரு கலர்ஃபுல் 'டான்' வேடம். அதைச் சரியான மீட்டரில் அழகாகச் செய்திருக்கிறார்.

டிசிப்ளினரி வாத்தியாக ரெய்டு போகும் வேடம் எஸ்.ஜே.சூர்யாவுக்கு. பூமிநாதனாக ஒவ்வொரு காட்சியிலும் வில்லத்தனத்தைக் கொட்டுகிறார். 'வாலி' பட ரெஃபரன்ஸ் கொண்ட மேனரிசம் ரகளையான சேர்ப்பு. கண்டிப்பான தந்தையாக சமுத்திரக்கனி. தற்போதைக்கு தென்னிந்தியாவில் அதிக திரைப்படங்கள் நடிப்பது சமுத்திரக்கனியாகத்தான் இருக்க வேண்டும். தெலுங்கில் 'சும்மா வந்துபோகும்' டெம்ப்ளேட் வில்லன் படங்களில் நடித்துக்கொண்டே தமிழில் கனமான வேடங்களுடன் கூடிய படங்கள் வரும்போது பிரமாதப்படுத்திவிடுகிறார். படத்தின் இறுதித் தருணங்களில் அவர் சிரிப்புடன் நகரும் காட்சி அழகானதொரு ஓவியம்.

Sarkaru Vaari Paata விமர்சனம்: மாஸ் படம்னாலும் இப்படியான காட்சிகள் வைக்கலாமா?

நாயகி அங்கயற்கன்னியாக பிரியங்கா மோகன். அதட்டும் காட்சிகள், எமோஷனல் காட்சிகள் என வெயிட்டான ரோலாகவே அவரின் பாத்திரம் இருக்கிறது. ஆனால், நடிப்பில் இன்னும் கொஞ்சம் மெனக்கெட்டிருக்கலாம். மனோபாலா, காளி வெங்கட், முனிஸ்காந்த், ஜார்ஜ் மரியன், செல்லா எனப் பல ஆசிரியர்கள். பெரிதாக நடிக்க வாய்ப்பில்லை என்றாலும், படத்தின் இறுதிக் காட்சிகளில் அப்ளாஸ் அள்ளுகிறார் சிவாவின் அம்மாவாக நடித்திருக்கும் ஆதிரா பாண்டிலட்சுமி. சூரி, ஆர்ஜே விஜய், பிக் பாஸ் ராஜூ, பால சரவணன், ஷிவாங்கி, ஷாரிக் ஹாசன் என நீள்கின்றது துணை நடிகர்கள் பட்டாளம். இந்தக் கூட்டத்தில் விஜய், பால சரவணன், ராஜூ ஆகியோர் ஈர்க்கிறார்கள்.

கல்லூரி வாழ்க்கை, பள்ளி வாழ்க்கை, ஆசை, கனவு, சென்டிமெண்ட் , ரகளை என எல்லாம் கலந்து முதல் படத்திலேயே கமர்ஷியல் பேக்கேஜ் ஒன்றைத் தயார் செய்திருக்கிறார் அறிமுக இயக்குநர் சிபி சகரவர்த்தி. அது நிறைய இடங்களில் ஒர்க்அவுட்டும் ஆகியிருக்கிறது.

இரண்டாம் பாதியில் சினிமாத்தனங்கள் ஆங்காங்கே தென்பட்டாலும், எமோஷனல் காட்சிகள் பார்வையாளர்களிடம் சொல்ல வேண்டியதை கச்சிதமாகச் சொல்லிவிடுகின்றன. அந்த வகையில் பெரிய ஹீரோவுக்கான முதல் படத்தை சேஃபாக லேண்டு செய்திருக்கிறார் சிபி.

நிறைய கதாபாத்திரங்கள் இருந்தாலும் எல்லாருக்கும் சரியான விகிதத்தில் காட்சிகளை அமைத்திருக்கிறார். அனிருத்தின் இசையில் 'ஜல புல ஜங்கு' இனி எவர்க்ரீன் கல்லூரி கல்ச்சுரல்ஸ் பாடலாக மாறிவிடும். 'ப்ரைவேட் பார்ட்டி' பாடல் கலர்ஃபுல்லாக எடுக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. 'பே' பாடலும் இறுதியில் வரும் அந்த மோட்டிவேஷன் பாடலும் ஏனோ பெரிதாக ஈர்க்கவில்லை. பின்னணி இசையில் வழக்கம்போல எமோஷன்களுக்கு பலம் சேர்த்திருக்கிறார் அனி.

இத்தனை பிளஸ்கள் இருந்தும் லாஸ்ட் பெஞ்ச் ஸ்டூடண்ட், ரகளையான மாணவர் என்றெல்லாம் சொல்லிக்கொள்ளும் கதாபாத்திரத்துக்கு சுவாரஸ்யமாக எழுதப்பட்டிருக்க வேண்டிய முதல் பாதி காட்சிகள் ஏனோ சுமாராகவே கடந்து போகின்றன. படத்தில் நிறைய கிளைக் கதைகள் இருப்பதால், இதில் கவனம் செலுத்த மறுந்துவிட்டார்களா எனத் தெரியவில்லை.

பள்ளிக்கால காட்சிகளின் நீளத்தையும் சற்று குறைத்திருக்கலாம். ஏழு கடல் ஏழு மலையைத்தாண்டி காரில் நெடுந்தூரம் பயணம் செய்யும் சிவகார்த்திகேயனின் 'ஒரு பக்கம் சாயுதாம், இன்னொரு பக்கம் சரியுதாம்' டைப் பீதிகளும் ஒரு கட்டத்துக்கு மேல் சலிப்பை ஏற்படுத்துகின்றன. அதெல்லாம் எதுக்கு பாஸு?

முதல் பாதி கல்லூரி காட்சிகளுக்கு இன்னும் சிரத்தை எடுத்திருந்தால் `டான்' இன்னுமே கலர்ஃபுல்லாக இருந்திருக்கும். ஆனாலும், இப்போதும் திரையரங்குகளுக்கு குடும்பமாக வந்து நிம்மதியாக ஒரு படம் பார்க்கும் அனுபவத்தை இந்த `டான்' நிச்சயம் தரும்.

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Don Movie Review: Sivakarthikeyan’s film is a mindless entertainer with a message

Director cibi chakravarthi’s don starring sivakarthikeyan, sj suryah and samuthirakani is a fun entertainer with a message. while it gets a tad preachy towards the end, don manages to impress for the most part..

Listen to Story

• Sivakarthikeyan's Don hit the theatres on May 13.
• The campus-based film is directed by Cibi Chakravarthi.
• After Doctor, Sivakarthikeyan and Priyanka Arul Mohan are back for the second time.

Sivakrthikeyan’s Don, helmed by debutant director Cibi Chakravarthi, is a film with many interesting ideas. And that’s the best part. The film is a perfect cocktail of fun, emotions and great songs.

Don follows the story of Chakravarthi (Sivakarthikeyan), who hails from an economically backward family. A typical middle-class dad (Samuthirkani) forces his son to take up engineering so he can succeed in life. Any amount of opposition won’t work with his dad because he’s strict. He doesn’t want his son to take any risks. When he joins an engineering college, he just wants to have fun. And he finds different ways to do that.

In his college, he meets professor Boominathan (SJ Suryah), head of the Discipline Committee. He imposes archaic rule in the name of discipline and earns the wrath of Chakravarthi and other students. He comes up with a plan to teach Boominathan a lesson. In the process, he finds his calling and what he wants to do in life.

Cibi Chakravarthi shows a lot of promise in his first film, Don. He knows how to elevate a simple story and does it effortlessly with interesting ideas. By recreating iconic scenes from Vaali and Baasha, Don takes everyone on a nostalgic ride. And that’s why the film works to a great extent. The film, which is set in an engineering college, taps into realism and you are reminded of your professors. Yes, all kinds of them.

The nostalgic factor works to a great extent, especially, when the lecturer yells, ‘is this a class or a fish market?’ There are many such instances which take us back to college. Another major advantage of Don is that it is self-aware. It does not appropriate the exertive behaviour of the parents. The film also has a scene where Sivakarthikeyan says it’s not right to stalk or follow a girl once she says no. Finally!

Where the film falters is during the final act. When Don takes itself seriously, the emotional stretches do not work as much as they should. At one point, it appears as if Sivakarthikeyan’s Chakravarthi is taking lessons about familial values.

The range that Sivakarthikeyan has shown as an actor is commendable. He scores in emotional scenes, especially in the final stretch. The film also belongs to SJ Suryah as much as it does to Sivakarthikeyan. With every film, SJ Suryah is proving that he is one of the best performers we have today. Priyanka Arul Mohan and Samuthirkani reprise roles that they have done in the past. Bala Saravanan and Mirchi Vijay’s comedy works, while Sivaangi oversells her performance.

Composer Anirudh Ravichander’s songs and background music have enhanced Don to a great extent. So did cinematography by KM Bhaskaran and editing by Nagooran Ramachandran.

Don is a mindless entertainer with a moving message. With brilliant comedy sequences and pulsating songs, Don is strictly a theatre watch.

3 out of 5 stars for Don. ALSO READ | Kamal Haasan to produce Sivakarthikeyan's upcoming film with Rajkumar Periasamy Published By: K Janani Published On: May 13, 2022 --- ENDS ---

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Movie Review: DON

Article by Satya B Published by GulteDesk --> Published on: 1:07 pm, 17 May 2022

Director : Cibi Chakaravarthi Cast : Sivakarthikeyan, Priyanka Arul Mohan, S. J. Suryah, Samuthirakani and others Banner : Lyca Productions, Sivakarthikeyan Productions Music : Anirudh

Siva Karthikeyan is high on the success of his last film Doctor. He has changed gears and has now come back with a campus drama called DON. The film has SJ Suryah and Priyanka Arul Mohan in key roles and has been directed by Cibi Chakravarthi and is doing well on the big screens.

Chakravarthi(Siva Karthikeyan) belongs to a lower-middle-class family. His dad’s(Samuthrakani) dream is to make him an engineer and enrolls him in one. Chakravarthi reluctantly joins the course and indulges in his own kind of fun. This is the time, professor Bhoominathan(SJ Suryah) enters the scene. He is the head of the disciplinary committee and employs crazy rules. Chakravarthi and his batch decide to teach him a lesson and try various things in the process. Who wins this teacher versus student game is the rest of the story.

Performances

After a long time, we get to see Siva Karthikeyan in a very carefree and entertaining role. He as the reckless student evokes good comedy and romance and also mimics Tamil stars superbly in a few scenes. But things change in the second half as the film turns into a coming of age story and Siva’s act in the last half an hour is emotional and creates a good impact.

SJ Suryah gets one more meaty role and continues where he left off in Simbu’s Maanadu. His banter with Siva Karthikeyan is handled well by the director turned actor and forms the highlight of the film. Priyanka Arul Mohan is okay as the hero’s love interest and does not have much to do. Samutrakani as the strict father rushes with his lines initially but is very good in the climax.

Technicalities

Don is Anirudh’s 25th film and his music is strictly okay. None of the songs create an impact on the listeners. But Anirudh is the king of BGM and he elevates most of the scenes. Don is directed by Cibi Charkavarthi and his writing is okay. There is nothing much novel but the manner in which he brings in the father and son thread by the end looks nice. This gives scope for neat dialogues. Cinematography by KM Bhaskaran and editing by Nagooran Ramachandran are neat and serve the purpose.

Don is set in an engineering college and takes you on a nostalgic ride. The comedy, songs, and ragging bring the college day memories and though this aspect looks routine, Siva Karthikeya in an energetic role after a long time keeps the audience on their toes. Director Cibi recreates scenes of many hit Tamil films in the campus comedy and makes use of them effectively.

Things start getting interesting with the entry of SJ Suryah and the banter he shares with the hero is also elevated nicely by the director. The tongue-in-cheek humor keeps the atmosphere light and the audience does not get bored. But once the love angle and mid portions of the film arrive, the director has run out of ideas. He did not know what scenes to fill this space with to take the film to the key pre-climax and end.

The narration can be tagged into two aspects with the first two hours being smart, banking Sivakarthikeyan’s skills, while the last thirty minutes or so is all about the actor surrendering completely to the director. This is where the emotional thread is highlighted between the father and son. How a carefree youth gets serious in life and how one incident changes his aim is shown so well by the director Cibi.

In all this, there is a slight message that is given that sounds preachy after a while. But as the film has enough comedy and some emotional moments cleverly packed, it makes up for a passable watch if you watch it with low expectations.

Bottom Line – Timepass Comedy

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Don Movie Review: Sivakarthikeyan Sells The Hell Out Of A Vapid Nostalgia Trip

Cast:  Sivakarthikeyan, Priyanka Arulmohan, SJ Suryah, Samuthirakani, Soori

Director:  Cibi Chakravarthi

Writer-director Cibi Chakravarthi manages something most filmmakers can't: Converting a recycle bin of tired tropes into an entertaining potpourri. He brings together everything that the young, male, Sivakarthikeyan audience adores, such as college nostalgia, Rajinikanth references, male friendships, revenge on the engineering academia, aggrandization of the ordinary, Appa sentiment and parental sacrifice, take-it-easy policy, a cute girlfriend whose sole purpose is to unquestioningly support her wayward lover and so on. 

Cibi understands the pulse of his audience so intricately well and packs every minute of his debut film Don with what they want to see. In fact, I'd stick my neck so far out as to say that he — abundantly supported by Sivakarthikeyan — makes the film's utter lack of originality almost admirable. 

Don is the story of Chakravarthy (Sivakarthikeyan), fondly known as Don, who steps into college determined to find his calling despite the heavyhandedness of his father (Samuthirakani) and college professor ( SJ Suryah ). Through this almost three-hour-long film, we see him waste his time, grab onto straws of purpose, lie and cheat ceaselessly and stumble upon what appears to be his innate talent casually, and succeed miraculously.

Through none of these things do we see a semblance of authorial or directorial vision. The film begins with a voiceover as lazy as "when we think of college, we remember friendships, love etc. etc." It ends with a moral science lesson about appreciating parents while they're alive. There is a current-day and flashback structure so desperate to hold the audience's attention that he summons an elephant to build narrative tension.

The two main villains, the father and the professor, are caricatures. They are not just unidimensional but also laughable. SJ Suryah tries his best to bring the menacing nature of his previous villain roles. With little written for him, he is visibly struggling. Angayarkanni (Priyanka Arulmohan), Chakravarthy's love interest, is little but a motivational speaker. " Ponnungalukku successful-a irukkara aambalaingala vida, oruthana success aakkardhu thaan romba pidikkum ," (more than a successful man, women like to make successes out of ordinary men) or something to that effect she says at one point. Does she not have a purpose, or even a pursuit, of her own?

Much of the film is stacked with "life in an engineering college" scenes. Take, for instance, the college cultural fest. There is an entire on-stage dance performance sequence that references popular music of the time, complete with men dressed as women and everything. If Sivakarthikeyan were any less of a charming dancer, the audience would be walking out. 

The film is so enthralled by Chakravarthy finding his calling that there is a meta Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya -esque track featuring, wait for it, Gautham Menon . Pitched as a college romance, though, Don doesn't want to look past it. So, Chakravarthy's journey to the top of Tamil cinema echelons is hastened away in a montage of newspaper/magazine clippings. I dread the next crop of engineering students who want to make films and think it's that easy.

The film that first presents Angayarkanni as a brave woman — "rowdy," she's called in another scene — makes her a hapless damsel in distress to merely cue a fight sequence. The writing of these parts is embarrassing, like the scene of a man applying white powder in his hands before attempting to grab a woman's breast so his handprint on her causes continued humiliation. In Cibi Chakravarthi's engineering college universe, the pervasive (threat of) sexual violence on campus isn't worth even as much exploration as the alleged incompetency of teachers. Perhaps, the only two named female characters are better off just finding street-fighting boyfriends. Oh, did I mention that the perpetrators of that sexual violence are casually forgiven by other men and accepted in the fold a few days later?

In the middle of such omnipresent thoughtlessness, there is also a sprinkling of endearing moments. Like the scene where Chakravarthy tells Angayarkanni that he felt while finding his calling the same way he felt when he met her for the first time. A hopelessly romantic thing to say, but it works. Or the scene where Chakravarthy's father is desperately trying to fix a sombu that he dented throwing at his son earlier, while lamenting his mistakes. Or when Angayarkanni naturally admits that she's in love with Chakravarthy to his father. 

The real miracle of Don , however, is its hero, Sivakarthikeyan. He sells the hell out of the film with bucketloads of earnestness. He brings vulnerability, and therefore likeability, to a character that could easily have had shades of arrogance. He is so amused by his own antics that we don't see how silly and easy they turn out to be. He dances like an absolute charm radiating joyful energy. He makes the humour work. He performs mimicry in a delightfully natural course of the film. He acts more than his money's worth. In the hands of any other actor in Tamil cinema today, Don would have been a painfully mediocre film. In Sivakarthikeyan's hands, it's a forgivably mediocre one.

As for Cibi, he is simply another addition to Tamil cinema's "patently unoriginal but moderately entertaining" hall of fame. I would be interested in seeing what he can do without Sivakarthikeyan, if we ever get to that.

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Don movie review: Sivakarthikeyan's well-intentioned film is bogged down by commercial clichés

Don plays with lofty ideals, yet it rarely engages with nuance and only deals with extremes.

Language: Tamil

Imagine a mix of Three Idiots (or Nanban ) and Santhosh Subramaniam, with a dash of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya? That’s Don for you. It’s a familiar premise. Chakravarthy (Sivakarthikeyan) aka Don is an unambitious college student. He has a controlling father (Samuthirakani) who is fanatical about marks. Whenever Chakravarthy fails, his father shaves his head – as an act of shame. A perennially stifled Chakravarthy tries hard to break the cycle, but like most Indian students end up in an engineering college – where he tries to figure out what he is good at.

Don is a well-intentioned film. It aims to speak of the well-oiled processing machine that our education system is. No matter what the input is, the output needs to be the same. It also aspires to speak of the steadfast faith Indian parents have in this system. But for a film with such lofty ideals, Don’s writing rarely engages with nuance. It only deals with extremes. For example, the film’s main two ‘villains’ are Chakravarthy’s father and his college’s disciplinary head Boominathan (SJ Suryah). Pre-dominantly, they are one-note characters. If Chakravathy’s father is obsessed with marks, Boominathan is obsessed with discipline. Their behaviour is shown as borderline tyranny. But later, this is rationalised in just a few seconds and they magically transform into kinder, empathetic humans when they realise that Chakravarthy has a ‘dream’. There’s no denying that they might want the best for their son/student. But their good intentions do not erase the emotional trauma Chakravarthy faces due to their behaviour. Reality doesn’t function in binaries, but this is the nuance that you cannot expect from Don’s writing.

The convenience in writing is not just limited to the characters, but also the overall narrative and setting. The first half of the film is unsurprisingly light. It heavily depends on humour, and Sivakarthikeyan’s comic skills. A few moments bring a smile to the face, like the parody of an iconic sequence from Baasha. But the universe is largely established without much logic in its setting. For all his love for discipline, Boominathan is pretty lax about Chakravarthy’s informal clothing and jeans. The smaller details vanish. Students in the crowd, watching a cultural performance, are armed with glitter pom-poms. With the help of a naive dean, Chakravarthy almost gets away with everything – from counterfeit applications to meaningless strikes.

Don’s emotional effectiveness is bogged down by the commercial cliches and platitudes. Chakravarthi finds his true calling in cinema – he wants to become a director. It’s met with resistance from his father and girlfriend Angayarkanni (Priyanka Mohan) for obvious reasons. The film acknowledges it, only superficially. Thousands of talented people might not make it in the industry, but Chakravarthi is not one of them because… he is the hero. Even elephants step aside to give way to him. In true Suryavamsam -style, he becomes a pan-Indian success with just one short film and a feature film.

Angayarkanni might be a bold girl. She protects a friend by slapping a senior who harassed her friend. But when faced with such a situation herself, all she does is patiently wait for the hero to save her. How will the hero fight otherwise? Not to mention, Angayarkanni has to say things like, ‘Women prefer making their men successful, than being with successful men.’ It’s not a personal decision, but a standard and judgement for all women – especially commercial film female leads. Fights and songs seem like unnecessary embellishments to the already exaggerated narrative.

In his book The Kite Runner , Khaled Hosseini observes the paradox that are cliches. ‘I always thought clichés got a bum rap. Because, often, they’re dead-on. But the aptness of the clichéd saying is overshadowed by the nature of the saying as a cliché,’ he writes. It’s a good way to describe Don. The film’s strength lies in its emotional core, which sadly still holds a lot of relevance in the Indian context. The performances largely bring this inherent ‘truth’ to the front. Sivakarthikeyan, Samuthirakani, and SJ Suryah give compelling performances that almost make us forgive the contrivances and exaggerations in treatment. Well, almost.

Rating: 2.5/5

Don is playing in cinemas

Ashameera Aiyappan is a film journalist who writes about Indian cinema with a focus on South Indian films.

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Kalki 2898 AD

A modern-day avatar of Vishnu, a Hindu god, who is believed to have descended to earth to protect the world from evil forces. A modern-day avatar of Vishnu, a Hindu god, who is believed to have descended to earth to protect the world from evil forces. A modern-day avatar of Vishnu, a Hindu god, who is believed to have descended to earth to protect the world from evil forces.

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• Soundtracks Bhairava Anthem (Telugu) Music by Santhosh Narayanan Lyrics by Ramjogayya Sastry Vocals by Deepak Blue & Diljit Dosanjh
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