# Don (டான்) (2022 film)
**Don** (டான்) is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language comedy-drama film written and directed by Cibi Chakaravarthi in his directorial debut, starring [Sivakarthikeyan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sivakarthikeyan) as Chakaravarthi, a young man who enters an engineering college unsure of his passion and clashes with a disciplinarian faculty member while dreaming of becoming a film director.[1](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6792/2022-don) • [2](https://www.cinnamondb.com/movie/don-2022) • [3](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/don-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda0nda2)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 13 May 2022 (India), Tamil language, certified U[1](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6792/2022-don) |
| Director | Cibi Chakaravarthi, in his directorial debut; he also wrote the story[1](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6792/2022-don) • [4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/don/don-review.html) |
| Lead cast | Sivakarthikeyan, Priyanka Arul Mohan, S.J. Suryah, Samuthirakani, Soori[1](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6792/2022-don) |
| Production | Allirajah Subaskaran of Lyca Productions and Sivakarthikeyan Productions[1](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6792/2022-don) |
| Music | Anirudh Ravichander; cinematography by K. M. Bhaskaran, editing by Nagooran[1](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6792/2022-don) |
| Runtime | About 2h 44m; the CBFC certificate lists 163.4 minutes[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/don) • [6](https://www.cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/assets/pdf/CC_Issued_2022.pdf) |
| Audience score | 6.8/10 on IMDb from about 13,000 votes; streaming on Netflix[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10709484) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/don) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and characters
The film follows Chakaravarthi (Sivakarthikeyan), nicknamed Don, a youngster who is still figuring out what his passion is and gets into an engineering college, where he clashes with a disciplinarian faculty member.[2](https://www.cinnamondb.com/movie/don-2022) His strict father ([Samuthirakani](https://www.edgepedia.org/samuthirakani)) wants him to study hard, and the protagonist decides he would rather make a name for himself without really studying; the film is about whether he figures out what he wants to do in life inside what the Times of India reviewer called a soul-sucking environment, an engineering college.[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-details/don/movieshow/90058457.cms) The British Board of Film Classification describes the story as that of a young engineering student who dreams of becoming a film director.[3](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/don-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda0nda2)
The central antagonist is professor Boominathan (S.J. Suryah), who heads the college's disciplinary committee; his altercations with the rule-hating protagonist form the base of the film.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/features/2022/May/13/don-movie-review-first-impression-sivakarthikeyan-cibi-priyanka-samuthirakani-sj-suryah-anirudh-31454.html) [Priyanka Arul Mohan](https://www.edgepedia.org/priyanka-arul-mohan) plays Angayarkanni, the love interest, and the supporting cast includes Soori as Perusu, Bala Saravanan and Mirchi Vijay as Don's friends, [Sivaangi Krishnakumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/sivaangi-krishnakumar) as Lilly, and [Gautham Vasudev Menon](https://www.edgepedia.org/gautham-vasudev-menon) in a cameo appearance as himself.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/don) • [2](https://www.cinnamondb.com/movie/don-2022)
## Production and music
Don was produced by Allirajah Subaskaran under Lyca Productions, with Sivakarthikeyan co-producing under his Sivakarthikeyan Productions banner.[1](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6792/2022-don) [Anirudh Ravichander](https://www.edgepedia.org/anirudh-ravichander) composed the music, and the songs include "Bae", written by [Vignesh Shivan](https://www.edgepedia.org/vignesh-shivan) and sung by Aditya R K, and "Jalabulajangu", written by Rokesh.[10](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25952/don/) K. M. Bhaskaran handled cinematography and Nagooran the editing.[1](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6792/2022-don) The film's release was postponed before its eventual May 2022 theatrical date.[10](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25952/don/)
## Reception
**Critical response.** The Times of India's M Suganth rated it 3.0/5, writing that the director's conviction carried the film over the finishing line and kept it largely entertaining despite a somewhat formulaic treatment.[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-details/don/movieshow/90058457.cms) Subha J Rao of Silverscreen India called it an assured debut that uses a cloak of humor to cover an emotional core, noting that the film stumbles in places when it transitions from fun to seriousness, but that Sivakarthikeyan, Samuthirakani, and a gloriously hammy S.J. Suryah sell it.[11](https://silverscreenindia.com/movies/reviews/don-review-sivakarthikeyan-starrer-is-all-laughs-no-threats/) A Cinema Trace review at 2.5/5 found the film let down by clichés and manufactured writing, while praising Anirudh's music as the backbone of the film.[12](https://cinematrace.com/2022/05/13/don-movie-review/) Film Companion's Hariharan Krishnan wrote that the film struggles to blend two completely different genres.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/don) Avinash Ramachandran of Cinema Express compared it to *[Nanban](https://www.edgepedia.org/nanban-2012-film)* (2012) and *[Meesaya Murukku](https://www.edgepedia.org/meesaya-murukku)*, noting that Don feels like an autobiographical film of the director, who named the protagonist after his father.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/features/2022/May/13/don-movie-review-first-impression-sivakarthikeyan-cibi-priyanka-samuthirakani-sj-suryah-anirudh-31454.html)
**Awards.** S.J. Suryah won the SIIMA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Negative Role in 2023 and was nominated for the Filmfare Award South for Best Supporting Actor; Cibi Chakaravarthi won an Edison Award for Best Debut Director in 2022.[13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10709484/awards/)
## Availability
Don streams on Netflix with a subscription in India and other markets.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/don) • [10](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25952/don/)
## References
1. [Don (2022) – TamilMDb](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6792/2022-don)
2. [Don (2022) – Cinnamon DB](https://www.cinnamondb.com/movie/don-2022)
3. [Don – BBFC classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/don-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda0nda2)
4. [Don (aka) Don Tamil review – Behindwoods](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/don/don-review.html)
5. [Don – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/don)
6. [List of feature films certified in 2022 – CBFC](https://www.cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/assets/pdf/CC_Issued_2022.pdf)
7. [Don (2022) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10709484)
8. [Don Movie Review – The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-details/don/movieshow/90058457.cms)
9. [Don Movie First Impression – Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/features/2022/May/13/don-movie-review-first-impression-sivakarthikeyan-cibi-priyanka-samuthirakani-sj-suryah-anirudh-31454.html)
10. [Don Tamil Movie – Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25952/don/)
11. [Don Review: Sivakarthikeyan-starrer is all laughs, no threats – Silverscreen India](https://silverscreenindia.com/movies/reviews/don-review-sivakarthikeyan-starrer-is-all-laughs-no-threats/)
12. [DON – Movie Review – Cinema Trace](https://cinematrace.com/2022/05/13/don-movie-review/)
13. [Don (2022) – Awards – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10709484/awards/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Tamil films of the 2020s › Tamil films of 2022 and 2023*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license