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Sunday 14 August 2011

Ra One Vs Don 2: Theatrical Promo




It’s been a lull, film marketing wise. Aarakshan stirred a hornet’s nest. Predictably, newsprint was wasted. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara was about beautiful people doing beautiful things in beautiful places. Predictably, newsprint was wasted. Don’t get me wrong, there were loads of filmy happenings just nothing that I felt was worth documenting and that you wouldn’t already be aware of.


But to not be talking about Ra One and Don 2, would really defeat the purpose of this blog’s existence. SRK’s return to the big screen after a hiatus (during which the other two of the Khan triumvirate made their presence felt HUGELY) is no small deal. But while the denizens of the virtual world have been busy predicting which of these is going to spin better box-office figures, I am going to humbly stay away from placing bets and focus on what’s there right now – the first theatrical promos !!


Superhero flick, Ra One is going to be the first of the two films out in the theatres. Whether in 3D or not, that’s still up in the air. The official promo in 2D has been doing the rounds since April of this year. The trailor opens with producer credits to background music – a tune which screams signature seventies potboiler. More fitting for Don 2, one would suppose. Before you can register music or visual, a miniscule creature you can barely comprehend is leaping off buildings, flying through the sky and jumping between bogeys of a train. These scenes are interspersed with supers which read ‘This Diwali He is the only Protector’. The music has changed to something more in keeping with the genre, but is hardly noticeable. By the end of the trailor, we see Shahrukh Khan in a blue-black-silver bodysuit, establishing that he is not just a hero but a SUPER HERO. There are cars being flung into the air by the superhero, in the midst of which we see him crouching on the bonnet of a car whose windscreen has been smashed. Kareena Kapoor, shown along with a kid in the passenger seat, reaches out to caress our superhero’s face. Before anything else is revealed, there is an abrupt shot of Shahrukh Khan flexing his super hero-self. In the background, a car falls from above and a familiar voice says something that sounds a lot like ‘I’m all’. Tacky. 





Don 2 
opens with some spectacular aerial shots of the landscapes, smoothly leading to the Don’s voiceover saying he is back. This co incides with some well put together extreme close-ups of the new look of Don. We now see silhouettes characteristic of him and his mannerisms, the voiceover continues. We know who he is, but the promo maintains a sense of mystery never showcasing his face – if not silhouettes or close-ups, we only see him from the back angle or long shots. The sense of familiarity is heightened with a pacier version of the signature music from part one. The promo is quick and gripping with a series of successive shots highlighting the chase for Don, the new and old characters in the film and a couple of action snippets. With a provocative snarl ‘Ab mujhe koi nahin rok sakta’, Don departs.



While both movies Ra One and Don 2 are going for the same effect, slick, uptempo, cool and edgy – clearly only one of them gets it right. 


Ra One is a promo that showcases very little, not in a way that would arouse curiosity but in a way that leaves you with a ‘What’s new?’ feeling. There is nothing that differentiates the SUPERHERO from our regular Hindi film action hero. Hell, Don looks like he could kick harder ass than this guy.


 Don 2, on the other hand, creates enough curiosity for the sequel even while establishing the setting. The background score and the stylized editing is in sync with the action thriller genre of the film. It sticks to the basics and delivers what is expected.


Ra One would do better to ramp up the basics – too much is happening and nothing is being said. Don 2 has the easier job a) it’s the sequel of a smash hit b) it’s not sci-fi , in establishing itself. 




Hmmm, maybe Chhammak Chhallo will take care of our superhero's teething problems !




Ra One is slated to release on 26th October 2011. 
Don 2 is slated to release on 23rd December 2011