Don

Don, the new Sivakarthikeyan starrer directed by Cibi Chakaravarthi, is an entertainer that tries to include almost everything you have seen in a commercial entertainer. It hasn’t managed to pull off every one of that, but whichever track it was able to pull off, thanks to its leading man, was smooth. Aided by some earnest and fun performances, Don is strictly an average entertainer with zero originality.

The story is about Chakaravarthi. Since his father was always like this controlling figure, he wasn’t really able to enjoy or explore his life. Even after doing miserably bad in 12th, his father takes him to an Engineering College. The eventful engineering life and the life lessons he learned from there are what we see in Don.

College life nostalgia, rift with a college official, quintessential love track, male gang jokes, Appa/Amma paasam, self-awakening, etc., are some of the ingredients in Cibi Chakaravarthi’s checklist that I can remember. And luckily, they have given a break to the farmer’s issue. It is actually the humor in the college life part of the film that saves it. Some of the other tracks are just about okay, and the one where Chakaravarthi finds his real passion is absolutely flat.

Cibi Charavarthi is a bit confused about the tone he wants to give to the movie. From a fun Sivakarthikeyan film zone, it goes to various phases, and it frequently goes back to comedy to find the rhythm. Even though the sentiments filled second half can induce cringe at many points, there is humor to cover up the mess. The cinematography is largely flat, and I felt the movie was a bit short on the style quotient as well. Anirudh’s music also didn’t have that usual charm.

I would say it is ultimately the actors who made this movie enjoyable. Sivakarthikeyan switches between modes in a very convincing way, and his charm in playing it for the festive audience works immensely in favor of Don. SJ Suryah, as the discipline committee head Boominathan with his style of quirks added to that character, was super fun to watch. Samuthirakani delivered a quality performance as the hero’s father. Priyanka Arul Mohan’s character is largely inconsequential to the plot, but her chemistry with Sivakarthikeyan is adorable.

Don has a very typical festival entertainer formula. The cliched way of placing songs, the way the film ends by giving the viewer a lecture about the love of parents, the hurried montages of the hero doing practically impossible things with the aid of his friends, etc., aren’t helping this crowded script. But the performances and the discretely placed humor bits save this college nostalgia trip from being drab.