40 years of Don: A film that Bollywood biggies had rejected

Don was a Salim-Javed script that many big stars in the industry had passed on but Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman and director Chandra Barot decided to take on the “difficult” project to pull one of their friends out of debt. Released on May 11, 1978, and featuring Bachchan in a double role — that of a mafioso and a simpleton — the film went on to become a blockbuster with its racy music, iconic dialogues and pulsating action.

Chandra became friends with Bachchan and Zeenat during the shooting of Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974). He also developed a close bond with the cinematographer of the film, Nariman Irani, whom they fondly called ‘Bawa’. In 1972, Irani produced Sunil Dutt-Waheeda Rehman starrer Zindagi Zindagi, but the film bombed and Irani found himself in debt.

“Because we all were working together — Amitabh, Zeenat and Pran saab — we were friends. We decided to make a film for Bawa to help him come out of the financial mess. But we didn’t have a script,” says Chandra. As luck would have it, Irani’s wife was Waheeda’s hairdresser and knew writer Salim Khan. “We asked her to put in a word for us. When we met Salim, he told us, ‘There is one subject which no one understands’. In the ‘70s, we had ‘thakurs’ and no one had heard the word Don. “Dharmendra, Jeetendra and Dev Anand had refused the film. But we said, ‘We don’t care, we just want ‘SalimJaved’ written on the posters’. It was a ready script and we took it immediately. It didn’t even have a title. Everyone in the industry called it ‘Don waali script’,” Chandra recalls.

The first day of the film was to begin with the shooting of Helen’s song, Yeh Mera Dil Pyaar Ka Deewana, but they did not have enough money, so Chandra took ₹40,000 cash from his sister, singer Kamal Barot, and the set was created. Khaike Pan Banaraswala is another popular song from the film. “Amitabh is limping [in it]. It is not choreography. He was injured!” says Chandra. Bachchan had injured his foot while shooting for Laawaris.

The director says a popular journalist wrote his “obituary” just before the release of the film as Yash Chopra’s Trishul had released a week ago and was a big success. Bachchan also had releases like Ganga Ki Saugandh, Besharam and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar that year and then there was Don.

Chandra lights up as he remembers the release day. “The advance booking line was so long.” Sadly, Irani, who had produced and shot the film, died six months before the release and could not see how the film would go on to rewrite thriller genre in Bollywood.

“Before the release, we let go of our remuneration. Amitabh was signed for two-and -a-half lakh, he let go his one-and-ahalf lakh, Zeenat let go her oneand-a-half lakh, Pran saab was the highest paid, five lakh, even he left half of his money. I let go of mine, too.”

Looking back, Chandra has the fondest of memories of shooting the film. “It was a picnic. We had no clue that a film no one wanted to make will one day become the one people can never forget,” he says.

We had no clue that a film no one wanted to make will one day become the one people can never forget. CHANDRA BAROT DIRECTOR OF DON

HT PHOTO Helen’s song, Yeh Mera Dil, and Amitabh Bachchan’s Khaike Pan Banaraswala are among the evergreen songs from the film