Don at the Berlinale

Finally on Saturday evening it happened: the German premiere of “Don – The King is back” in the Friedrichstadt Palast as part of the Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival).

The long-awaited Bollywood blockbuster, sold out only a few hours after the advance booking office had opened, delivered everything it had promised. Plenty of action, cliff-hanging stunts and unbelievably spectacular scenes of Berlin – because as previously announced, not only did Shah Rukh Khan play a leading role in the film, but so did the city! And the persistent rumours of the appearance of Hrithik Roshan in a special guest role were also confirmed, much to the joy of his fans.

Hours before the advance booking office had opened Monday morning, long queues had gathered in the chance of getting a ticket for the premiere. And on the Saturday evening of the premiere itself, hundreds of adoring fans were waiting for hours on end by the red carpet in front of the Friedrich Palast for their idol Shah Rukh Khan in weather conditions more suited for a Siberian winter. Although the star had in fact just recovered from a heavy cold, he still made it in time to the premiere in Berlin, where he received a rapturous welcome from his adoring fans both outside and inside the Friedrichstadt Palast. Shah Rukh Khan still took time out for his fans, patiently signing autographs and posing for the photographers. On stage inside the Friedrich Palast, the atmosphere was more relaxed; he again declared his love of Berlin and even engaged in a dancing interlude together with the Director of the Berlinale, Dieter Kosslick. But it wasn’t only Shah Rukh Khan who was so enthusiastically greeted, but co-star Priyanka Chopra, director Farhan Ahktar and producer Ritesh Sidhwani also received warm welcomes.

For those of you who missed out on the premiere celebrations last weekend, Don is showing in the following cinemas in Berlin starting today:

Don in Berlin cinemas

16th January – 22nd January 2012:

• Cinemotion Hohenschönhausen
• Cineplex Karli (Neukölln)
• Cineplex Alhambra (Wedding)
• Uci Collosseum (Prenzlauerberg)
• Eiszeit Kino (Kreuzberg)

20th January – 22nd January 2012:

• Cinestar Sony Center
• Cinemaxx Potsdamer Platz