Reference Auto

Response: Shah Rukh Khan’s RA.One fell short of expectations on Day One compared with Salman Khan-starrer Bodyguard, which raked in around Rs 22 crore on its first day and many say RA.One is not really a G.One (a good one) despite its earnings.

But RA.One managed Rs 18 crore, with collections abroad standing at Rs 6 crore on its first day.

However, Shah Rukh’s RA.One earned Rs 26.5 crore (gross) with net collections of Rs 18.5 crore on Wednesday itself (Diwali day), becoming the highest grosser on Diwali among all Indian movies.

Second day revenues for RA.One (on Thursday), were even higher, with net collections touching nearly Rs 25 crore.

This is also a record of sorts as it is the highest single-day collection for any Indian cinema ever.

RA.One is India’s costliest movie and has been made on a budget of Rs 150 crore.

Film type: Science fiction

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Shahana Goswami and Armaan Verma

Director: Anubhav Sinha

Time of movie: 2 hours 30 minutes

Story: In RA.One, Shah Rukh Khan plays the role of a goofy gaming expert Shekhar Subramaniam and wants to be a hero in the eyes of his son Prateik, played by Armaan Verma.

But the son thinks otherwise. According to Prateik, villains are the in-thing and heroes have lost their relevance.

Just when father and son hit a rough patch on the issue, Shekhar conceives an incredible game.

Shekhar is able to put in place a very powerful villain RA.One against a less potent good-guy-cum hero G.One, played by Shah Rukh again.

But can good overcome evil?

Review: RA.One was a tad disappointing as it somewhat failed to reach up to the hype and hoopla created over it. The movie, despite coming with a superior technology than that of Rajnikant’s Robot (owing to the high budget), spends a lot of time on inane vulgar jokes.

The action (and thrill) actually begins only when the hero comes to life (till that moment, it is a tad boring). However, the special effects are mind boggling.

Although RA.One can be classified as a blockbuster, there is something amiss in the storyline, which has a whiff of films like The Terminator and our very own Robot. Also, RA.One is quite child-like.

In RA.One, Shah Rukh and Kareena do steal the show but Arjun Rampal seriously needed to stop clenching his teeth while delivering his notorious dialogues, even though his overall performance and his new-look gave the film a shot in the arm.

Yes, RA.One is worth a watch but only a one-time watch and compared to the hype it generated, it’s not really a G.One (good one) even though it is an ideal entertainer for children.

Rating: 3.5/5

Response: Well, Shah Rukh Khan’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan, the story of which defies all logic, has scored over its competitor, Son of Sardar, starring Ajay Devgn, and mopped up a whopping Rs 69 crore (against Son of Sardar’s Rs 60 crore) during the first week.

But the makers of the two films have come up with different claims. While the Shah Rukh-starrer producers said that it made Rs 80-crore profit, the latter’s makers claim it grossed over Rs 65 crore during the period.

But if revenues till date are compared, Jab Tak Hai Jaan has surged way ahead of Son of Sardar.

For instance, till the beginning of this week, the former logged almost Rs 100 crore but the latter is stuck around the Rs 80-crore mark.

Film type: Romance.

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.

Director: Yash Chopra.

Time of movie: Three hours.

Story: Jab Tak Hai Jaan is a love triangle and is late Yash Chopra’s last film as a director after eight years (although this return didn’t seem to be a great one in terms of quality).

In Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Shah Rukh plays the role of Samar, who has a dual role - as a musician in London during his late twenties and later plays a shy but composed and a sincere army officer in Kashmir.

He suffers from amnesia after an accident. There are two ladies in the film - Katrina Kaif is Meera, a seductive beauty, and Anushka Sharma Akira, who works with Discovery Channel and is a maker of documentaries.

So, what happens when Samar is cured of his amnesia?

Review: Jab Tak Hai Jaan’s storyline is full of flaws and it really doesn’t achieve the benchmark a Yash Chopra film should ideally have achieved.

Samar is a beggar in London, making a living by singing and suddenly he comes back to India and becomes an army officer.

Also, how can Akira just walk into a high security army camp and gleefully shoot for Discovery with experts making bombs all over?

Moreover, her skimpy attire in Kashmir’s chilly weather makes the story even more hilarious and one wonders what the late acclaimed director had in mind while shooting this scene in Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

Although the story remains a jigsaw on many occasions, Shah Rukh’s fans have given him thumbs up in Jab Tak Hai Jaan, responding overwhelmingly and the film can be classified as a super hit.

But there is also buzz that Jab Tak Hai Jaan has taken bits and pieces from Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair.

Shah Rukh is the star attraction in the film but Katrina and Anushka are a letdown.

Despite its flaws, it may be stated that Jab Tak Hai Jaan is a full entertainer. You have to say goodbye to your logic to watch Shah Rukh-starrer Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

Rating: 3/5.

Response: Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Don 2, The King is Back, is no doubt among the top films of 2011-12, and especially a super hit in the global market, with Shah Rukh being tipped as the perfect baddie.

In North America, Don 2 mopped up box office collections of $3.2 million (the highest in the continent) in its first week while in the UK it surpassed revenues worth £1 million during the same period.

For instance, compare this collection with Ra One, which only made $2.5 million in North America in the same period.

In the country, Don 2 surpassed Rs 100 crore (total collections) in the first week and is the ninth Hindi film to have overtaken revenues of Rs 100 crore.

Some of the films that have crossed this mark are Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots, Salman Khan’s Bodyguard and Shah Rukh’s Ra One.

Total net collections of Don 2 after the second week, including the Tamil and Telugu versions, stood at Rs 103 crore in India and overseas revenues were over Rs 65 crore (the total being almost Rs 169 crore).

Film Type: Action

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Om Puri, Lara Dutta and Kunal Kapoor

Director: Farhan Akhtar

Time of move: Two and half hours

Story: After dominating the underworld in Asia, the Don (played by Shah Rukh Khan) plans to expand his underworld operations to Europe in Don 2.

But standing between him and his grandiose plans are the underworld and the police of the continent. The action starts in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur but the focus later shifts to Europe.

The Don has to wade through assassination and arrest attempts to succeed, especially with hot cop, Priyanka Chopra coming in the way.

Will he succeed?

Review: If you’ve watched Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt) in Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, Shah Rukh Khan will in no way disappoint you in Don 2 with his desi style.

He has all the traits of a perfect baddie. He’s got the charisma, the ingenuity, the cunning look, and arguably, this is Shah Rukh’s best role as the bad guy.

Many who have seen Don 2 vouch for Shah Rukh, saying that this is the best bad role they’ve ever seen in Bollywood.

Shah Rukh stays in total control throughout the film and is the pivotal driving force although Piggy Chops (Priyanka) plays a commendable role and Boman Irani is his usual self, just fantastic! Even Om Puri does a marvelous job though.

Don 2 is definitely a paisa wasool film. The action – the chase scenes, the scuffles, the break-in and the devastation can give Hollywood’s best action film a run for its money. If action is what you seek, you have a lot of it in Don 2, perfected to the core.

Probably the best of the Don series (including that played by Don Amitabh Bachchan), Don 2 has made Shah Rukh the ultimate bad man.

Rating: 4/5