Shah Rukh fans outside Regent on Friday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, Dec. 23: Yesterday he gave his heart to Patna. Today, his fans gave theirs.

Hundreds of citizens turned up at cinemas to catch Shah Rukh Khan in the return of Don.

But the thriller managed only a distant second spot compared to Bodyguard’s record first day collections. Don 2 raked Rs 6,87,000, better than Ra.One, which had earned around Rs 3,69,340. Bodyguard, however, has not been dislodged from its throne: It had collected Rs 7,87,500.

Fans were not concerned with the numbers though. Shah Rukh Khan’s visit to the city yesterday added to the magic that attracted his fans and others to cinemas alike. They claimed that their favourite star delivered what he promised. The fast-paced action sequences, the locales where Don 2 has been shot, the new tune for popular number Main hoon Don… and the snappy dialogues kept the film in the race. Those who braved the morning chill to catch the first-day first-show at Regent were also compensated with masks of Shah Rukh in his Don avatar and hot cups of coffee.

“The mask is really cool. When you wear it, you feel you are like Don,” said Kankerbagh resident Ritesh Kumar, one of the early visitors at the theatre.

He then put on his mask and delivered the iconic line: “Don ko pakarna mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai!”

Ritesh and his fellow audience members claimed that the Farhan Akhtar flick kept them on the edge of their seats with its thriller storyline and sleek action sequences.

“The story is really good. It may have been copied from some film. But the makers of Don 2 have done their best to entertain,” said Renu Jha, who had turned up at Cinepolis today. The Shah Rukh fan added: “The witty dialogues and his (SRK’s) acting in the film is superb.”

The story starts off from where the earlier film ended. Don turns up in Malaysia and surrenders to Interpol agents Mallik (Om Puri) and Roma (Priyanka Chopra). He is sent off to prison where he meets his old enemy Vardhan (Boman Irani). The two team up and escape from jail to land up in Berlin, where they plan to blackmail a bank vice-president (Alyy Khan) to get access to a German bank’s security system. Then the film picks pace with pulsating car chases and action sequences that any Don aficionado is familiar with. There is also a hint of chemistry between Priyanka’s and Shah Rukh’s characters but it never turns into a full romance. (Remember: Don killed Roma’s brother.)

If you want to see Don’s new adventures, you could catch one of the 15 shows — five at Regent and 10 at Cinepolis. But you will have to wait till Monday for all shows are booked for the weekend.

Cinema owners are naturally happy with the collection. Regent owner Suman Kumar Sinha said: “I’m happy that people are coming to my hall to catch the film.”

The 3D version of the film too drew gasps of admiration from fans. Those who are thirsting for more, here’s some good news. There could a second sequel in the pipeline. At least, the bike number — Don 3 — of the anti-hero seems to indicate that.