Farhan Akhtar shared the trailer of Don 3, reportedly starring Ranveer Singh. Fans of the franchise flooded the comments section demanding the return of Shah Rukh Khan. Farhan Akhtar gave fans of his Don franchise what they needed well, almost. He teased the announcement of Don 3 but also hinted that Shah Rukh Khan might not reprise his memorable title role in the trilogy.
Ranveer Singh will reportedly replace Shah Rukh Khan in Don 3
Farhan shared a video with the announcement on his social media on Tuesday. While his post was without any caption, the trailer did all the talking. He placed the spotlight on the number “3” written in the middle of the screen. The font and image style are eerily familiar. If there were any stones left unturned, the background music sounded like a faintly reworked version of Don’s title track “Main Hoon Don.”
An official representative of IMDb India commented on Farhan’s post, “11 mulkon ki police want to know the release date.” Farhan’s sister and filmmaker Zoya Akhtar also commented, “Boom (explosion emoji).
A new era?
What also caught the attention of the internet was the series of ‘A New Era Begins.’ Fans of the franchise then started wondering if this meant that Shah Rukh would not return as the titular character in the trilogy. Reports suggest that Ranveer Singh has been cast as the new Don.
A user wrote in the comments section of Instagram, “I don’t think any other actor can match SRK’s panache in Don….#nosrknodon3.” Another wrote, “No Shah Rukh Khan sir, No Don3.” A third user commented : “No one wants any new era without srk.” Another user posted a GIF of Don asking Shah Rukh, “Are you looking for me?”
However, the announcement of the “new era” also stirred up debate on the Internet. Many urged others to give it another shot as Shah Rukh’s Don was also an official remake of Amitabh Bachchan’s 1978 gangster film Don. A user wrote in the comments section, “Wow, such negative comments about Don3 which does not include SRK. The Original Don was screened at the Sydney Film Festival earlier this year. I have yet to see any version of the original Don (feat. Big B) that comes closer to him. Keep trying Farhan and team, you might come close this time.”
Another user supported the argument by writing, “Logo ko… Pehle Shahrukh Khan se problem thi… Abhi Shah Rukh Khan nahi hai toh bhi problem hai nahi dekhna hai toh Ghar pe suryawansham dekho free me .. Farhan no .. New Era.. kuch dikhaya hai toh kuch toh Naya hoga.. itna bhi nakli mat bano (Initially people had a problem with Shah Rukh playing Don. Now if there is no Shah Rukh, you can stick to watching Sooryavansham at home. At least Farhan is trying to try something new with “New Era”. Don’t be so fake).
Ranveer Singh in Don 3?
According to media reports, Ranveer Singh is likely to replace Shah Rukh in the title role. Don 3 will be produced by Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment. It will be written and directed by Farhan, who will return to this turf more than 12 years after Don 2. The first two installments of the gangster thriller franchise, Don (2006) and Don 2 (2011), had Shah Rukh and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles.
