Don is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language coming-of-age comedy drama film written and directed by Cibi Chakaravarthi, in his directorial debut. Produced by Lyca Productions and Sivakarthikeyan Productions, it stars Sivakarthikeyan, S. J. Suryah, Samuthirakani, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Soori and debutant Sivaangi Krishnakumar. The film revolves around a reluctant engineering student repeatedly clashing with his college's discipline mentor, while still trying to discover his passion in life and prove his eligibility to his father.
The film was officially announced in 2021 with production taking place between February–December 2021. It was shot extensively across Tamil Nadu including Coimbatore, Chennai, Pollachi and Udumalaipettai, while a song was filmed in Agra. The film features music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, with cinematography and editing by K. M. Bhaskaran and Nagooran Ramachandran respectively.
Don was released in theatres on 13 May 2022 and received positive reviews from critics and audiences, who praised the performances (particularly Suryah, Sivakarthikeyan and Samuthirakani), music, direction, screenplay, dialogues, humour, emotional weight, climax. The film grossed over 100 crores at the worldwide box office and became a commercial success.
Plot
Chakaravarthi, a famous film director, is desperately trying to make it to college. As he drives, he narrates the story of his college days.
Past: Chakaravarthi's father, Ganesan, is a strict man who cares a lot about Chakaravarthi's studies and wants him to be a civil engineer. But Chakaravarthi hates studying and lies to his father about his test marks. At the same time, Chakaravarthi falls in love with Angaiyarkanni alias Angu during his 12th year of school. Initially, she avoids him but soon reciprocates his feelings, but they end up going their separate ways after Ganesan and Angu's father confront Chakaravarthi's and Angu's relationship since Chakaravarthi claims Angu is just his friend to avoid his father bashing him up.
Chakaravarthi joins BEC (Best Engineering College) in Coimbatore. However, the college's disciplinarian professor Bhoominathan, whom the students fear and hate, ruins his expectations of enjoying college life. Chakaravarthi constructs a plan to send Bhoominathan away to be a visiting professor at St. Paul's University in Russia so that students can be happy. Meanwhile, Chakaravarthi meets Angu again, who is also a part of BEC. Angu befriends Lilly, a first-year student, despite his attempts to woo her. Lilly explains to Chakravarthi that, after the incident in their school days, Angu's father stopped talking to her.
Chakaravarthi successfully patches them up after creating a short film and ends it on an emotional note with Angu's father and Angu reconciling. Angu is impressed and reciprocates his feelings. Amidst this, Bhoominathan unexpectedly returns from Russia and discovers that Chakaravarthi sent him there. In revenge, his assistant clicks a photo of Chakaravarthi and Angu at the Taj Mahal. He uses it to complain to Killivallavan, the BEC chairman. Chakaravarthi, in return, presents a picture of Bhoominathan with Miss Swetha at the Taj Mahal. It gains the wrath of Killivallavan, who is disappointed in Bhoominathan.
Meanwhile, Ganesan discovers the truth about Chakaravarthi, including his college test scores. Feeling cheated and enraged, he slaps Chakaravarthi. Chakaravarthi decides to venture into filmmaking by attending a short film competition. However, Ganesan does not allow him to do filmmaking and wants him to do engineering. Chakaravarthi secretly films portions of the college with cameraman Perusu. At the film's climax, Bhoominathan finds out about his secret filming. In a mix of guns, drama, and confusion, Bhoominathan suffers an accident that severely injures his neck, but he eventually survives. Killivallavan dismisses Chakravarthi from the college.
Ganesan discovers Chakaravarthi's secret filmmaking and destroys his short film, resulting in an intense confrontation between them. Frustrated with his father, he leaves the house. Bhoominathan gradually recovers while Chakaravarthi prepares another short for the competition. Bhoominathan and Chakaravarthi develop a positive rapport. Bhoominathan tells Chakravarthi that he spoke with Killivallavan. He informs Chakaravarthi that if he clears all of his arrears, he can get his engineering degree, thus burying the hatchet and ending their conflict.