The Don Malayalam Movie

Sep 8, 2006 By Unni Nair

Shaji Kailas and Dileep’s coming together for the first time was considered as big news in Malayalam Cinema. But their first venture together, titled The Don, is a letdown, despite some good technical back-up and considerably good acting too. While the first half of the film is okay the post-interval portion is just unbearable.

Unnikrishnan’s father and mother are killed by his own uncle when he was just ten. He himself runs away from the assassin and takes refuge with a tea-shop owner. When his uncle comes before him again, the little boy shoots him dead and lands up in a juvenile home. Eighteen years later, Unnikrishnan has no one to call his own and is on the lookout for a job.

Things take a turn when he happens to heroically save the life of Kasim Baba, who is sort of a don and controls the entire Harbor area. Unnikrishnan, rechristened as Salaam by Kasim Baba, becomes his right- hand man. Kasim Baba’s trusted lieutenants Sikandar and Abootty and his manager Kabir too hold Salam in high esteem. But Baba’s nephew Sulaiman is jealous of Salam and the hold he has over Baba.

Enter Advocate Subramania Swamy, MLA Abdullah Sahib and others who want to put an end to Baba’s reign. They try to lure Salaam with money, but finding him not amenable, plan other moves, get Baba eliminated and Salaam framed for his murder and jailed. Salaam finds well-wishers inside the jail too, as well as friends outside. What all happens then forms the rest of the plot.

Dileep does well as Unnikrishnan alias Salam, but his fans would probably prefer him doing not-so-serious roles. Of the others in the cast, Lal as Kasim Baba has done his role well. Bheeman Reghu as Sikandar and Baburaj as Abootty are typecast, while Lalu Alex as Viswanathan has not much to do. Manianpillai Raju as Abdullah Sahib is average while Saikumar, in a different get-up as the shrewd Subramania Swamy, doesn’t leave a lasting impact. Augustine as Kabir is OK and Shammi Thilakan as Sulaiman is his usual self. Gopika, who plays the heroine, has little to do as Shahida, Baba’s daughter, and the romance aspect too hasn’t been impressively worked out.

The post-interval portion of the film is typical filmy style revenge and gore, something that we have seen umpteen times. The saving grace is editing by Don Max and cinematography by Sanjeev Shankar. Something better was perhaps expected this Onam from the maker of such hits as Eklavyan, Commissioner, Thalasthaanam, Narasimham, Aaraam Thampuraan and others. The fact that the same director has also given us such totally insufferable films as Sunday 7pm and Asuravamsam comforts us with the thought that The Don is not his worst effort yet.