In just a few weeks, the world will finally see India’s most expensive film, the one that superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been promoting all year: “Ra.One,” in which he plays both an every-dad and a superhero named G.One. Two months later, SRK has another huge release: “Don 2,” the sequel to a 2006 film about a stylish, ruthless underworld don. From their trailers, the two  films—both of which have the superstar himself as a producer—look fantastic, full of action, effects and of course numerous impressive ways for the star to shine.

Judging by the trailers and promotions, the “Ra.One” team has taken the “more is more” approach to get the world to love its product. The film already has Shah Rukh Khan as a superhero. Is that not enough to make a film wildly desirable and successful? Why is “Ra.One” surrounded by so many other bells and whistles in its months of promotion? Perhaps the team is simply concerned about recouping its enormous budget, estimated at 1.5 billion rupees ($30.5 million). But according to a report on Bollywood website Koimoi.com, that goal may be met before the film even opens thanks to the prearrangements of distribution, broadcasting and music rights.

It’s as though “Ra.One” is the new kid desperate to fit in, frantically trying to grab our attention and approval. The official website includes a slew of tie-ins like games, a graphic novel and a shop for “Ra.One” merchandise. There’s also been an endless stream of “Ra.One” advertisements on Indian television, particularly during the just-ended Nokia Champions League cricket tournament, for which Shah Rukh Khan was a brand ambassador. In addition, the film has an official presence on almost every imaginable social networking service. Even when it’s cleverly done (like the self-referential animation that loads on the film’s official Youtube site), the joy of some of the movie’s official look begins to strain under the effort of proving how cool and amazing it will be. It’s hard not to wonder if the movie itself will similarly buckle, at least in parts, under all it’s trying to do.

Can a single film prove that this superstar is a superhero, outclass its predecessors in sci-fi appeal and technological wizardry, while also yanking our heartstrings with a story about sons learning to appreciate their fathers, as well as, of course, adding a splash of back-up dancers writhing in tiny shorts?

If anyone can make such a film, Shah Rukh Khan can. Movie- and media-savvy SRK knows his audience and how to manipulate us. “Ra.One” might be the perfect project for him, combining his star power and his interests in production and visual effects with a type of role and film he hasn’t tried before. We know he can be a dutiful  father (“Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” [1998]), a nerd (“Main Hoon Na” [2004], where he also has a few non-nerdy action sequences), a lover (“Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” [1995] and “Dil Se” [1998], to name just two) and a leader (“Swades” [2004], “Chak De India” [2007]). The trick might be putting all those things together into an emotionally cohesive whole that works in tandem with not only the look and function of G.One, but also the superhero’s persona. Shah Rukh Khan the performer and Shah Rukh Khan the entertainment industry titan have so much to do in this film—and so much riding on it.

Don, on the other hand, does not seem to care in the least whether you like him. He just wants your money. Regardless of whether you thought “Don: The Chase Begins Again” (2006) was successful either as a remake/reinterpretation of the 1978 original or as a freestanding film, its sequel has an established identity to build on. Given the significant surprises in the 2006 “Don,” it might be a risk to say that we know what to expect of “Don 2”’s plot, but viewers can make informed predictions about characterizations, style and pace.

With the coolness typical of writer-director Farhan Akhtar and the other productions under his banner, Excel Entertainment, the trailer of “Don 2″ promises a twisting path, perpetual motion and a lead character with an intimidating and dangerous exterior. He calmly says “Boom” into a tiny microphone, and cars burst into flames. Contrast Don’s detached destruction with G.One sending cars flying with the wave of his hand in “Ra.One”‘s trailer: G.One’s feats are intercut with a frightened woman and child, and text calling him “the only protector,” while Don’s are spliced with images of cash, cards, smoke and a solitary man alone in vast scenery.

At the time of writing, the only official web presence of “Don 2″ is a few small items on the site of its production house. The makers of “Ra.One” are certain we’ve never seen a film like theirs before and have been trying to prove it since January; the makers of “Don 2″ are certain we saw and loved “Don.” As a sequel to a film with a very particular style, no one has to work too hard to tell us what “Don 2″ will be like. The bigger risk is probably in assuming audiences still want more Don. “Get ready for the return of the King,” says the trailer, as though we haven’t seen its star in ages, rather than flocking to see him as a totally different character in a huge film just two months earlier.

Now that we know that Don has eliminated the sunnier twin of himself introduced in the 2006 film, it’s difficult to imagine where any ray of light will flit into Don’s slick and detailed but ethically bankrupt world. Probably not through the antihero himself. Will that matter to audiences? Will the global nation of SRK fans be as excited about a completely dark role? We have seen the superstar be bellicose, despondent or disillusioned before (“Ashoka” [2001], “Devdas” [2002] and “Chak De India” [2007]), but those characters all found hope or redemption. Maybe Mr. Akhtar, no rookie to successful filmmaking, has an emotional twist in mind to accompany sharp bends in his plot.

I’ll be as close on the heels of a first day first show ticket for both films as I can, but I have little doubt that “Don 2″ is the film and performance I will find more engaging, impressive and enjoyable. The more I learn about “Ra.One,” the messier and sickly-sweeter it seems. “Don 2″ feels like a weird labyrinth whose emotional heart is a mystery. Will there be a hero in the center after all, or one of my favorite actors doing his best to rewrite his heroic image? I can’t wait to find out!