Don

Awards

Song Awards:
• 1978 - Filmfare Awards - Best Male Playback Singer - Khaike Paan Banaras Wala - Kishore Kumar
• 1978 - Filmfare Awards - Best Female Playback Singer - Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Deewana - Asha Bhosle

Trivia

Album

• This was Chandra Barot's directorial debut. Despite the success of this film, his next two films came after long gaps. His next film came after 13 years - "Pyar Bhara Dil" (1991) - and his third film - "Hum Baja Bajaa Denge" (2014) - took even longer.[1][2]
• This film was remade several times in various languages. It was remade in Telugu as "Yugandhar" (1979), starring N.T. Rama Rao, in Tamil as "Billa" (1980), starring Rajinikanth, and in Malayalam as "Shobhraj" (1986), starring Mohanlal. Helen reprised her role in the Hindi original in its Tamil remake. The film was rebooted by Farhan Akhtar in 2006 with the same title and featuring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role. He directed the 2006 remake and adapted the original script written by the Salim - Javed duo, of which his father Javed Akhtar was a part. The reboot re-created two hit songs from this film. Farhan Akhtar followed up the reboot with a sequel in 2011. The success of Akhtar's films revived interest in what had become a film franchise and resulted in remakes in other languages as well. There was a remake in Tamil "Billa" (2007), starring Ajith, and its prequel "Billa II" (2012). There was also a remake in Telugu titled "Billa" (2009), starring Prabhas.[3][4]
• The idea for this film was conceived on the sets of "Roti Kapada Aur Makaan" (1974) to help bail out cinematographer Nariman Irani, whose film "Zindagi Zindagi" (1972) had failed and resulted in him running up huge debts. Seeing Irani's distress when they were all working on "Roti Kapada Aur Makaan" (1974), Manoj Kumar's assistant director Chandra Barot, and actors Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman decided to help him out by working with him on a film. That turned out to be this film. It was funded by Chandra Barot, who took a loan from his sister, singer Kamal Barot, and some well-wishers. The script for the film was an unsold Salim - Javed script that had been turned down by Prakash Mehra, Dev Anand and Jeetendra. The film took more than three years to film. Upon release, the film's openings were slow, but it slowly gained popularity and went on to become a big hit. Unfortunately, Irani didn't live to see the film's success. He died before the film was completed when a wall fell on him while shooting for another film at Rajkamal Studios. Some of the film's proceeds were directed to Irani's widow Salma, who was able to settle his debts. Amitabh Bachchan dedicated his Filmfare Award for Best Actor to Salma and called her on stage while accepting the award.[5][6][7]
• Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan stayed at Chandra Barot's home during their visit to London after their wedding. It was during this trip that Amitabh did his shopping for the first schedule of this film's shoot.[8]
• The plot of the film "Madam X" (1994) starring Rekha may have been adapted from this film.[9]
• After chasing him for months, it was on the sets of this film that Tinnu Anand got time with Amitabh Bachchan to narrate the script of the film "Kaalia" (1981).[10]
• Pran's character in this film was able-bodied in its original script. The script was changed to make him disabled when he met with an accident and was required to use a walking stick during the making of this film.
• This was one of the few Hindi films with the same premise involving the hero taking the place of a gangster lookalike to infiltrate a criminal organisation. The films "Mr. India" (1961) and "China Town" (1962) also had the same premise.[11][12]

Song

• Khaike Paan Banaras Wala - This song was added to the film as an afterthought but went on to become the film's most popular track. The film's director Chandra Barot added the song to the film on the advice of actor, director Manoj Kumar, with whom he had worked as an assistant director in the past. Manoj Kumar had felt that the film was too tightly-paced and would benefit from a song. Babla, Kalyanji and Anandji's younger brother who was assisting them in the film, then came up with the idea of using a tune which was originally composed for the film "Banarasi Babu" (1973). The tune had remained unused after Dev Anand had rejected it as he had considered it be too fast.[13][14]
• Khaike Paan Banaras Wala - Kishore Kumar reportedly had a paan in his mouth while singing this song to give his diction an authentic sound.[15]
• Khaike Paan Banaras Wala - Amitabh Bachchan had hurt his leg while shooting for another film. Some of his dance steps in this song were, in fact, him limping due to his injury.[16]
• Khaike Paan Banaras Wala - Kishore Desai played the mandolin in this song.[17]
• Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Deewana - This song was sampled in The Black Eyed Peas song "Don't Phunk With My Heart" from their platinum hit album "Monkey Business" (2005). "Don't Phunk With My Heart" also sampled another Kalyanji - Anandji song, "Ae Naujawan Hai Sab Kuch Yahan" ("Apradh", 1972).[18][19]
• Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Deewana - Asha Bhosle won her seventh Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for this song. She declined to be considered for the award after this in order to give other singers a chance. However, she made an exception many years later by accepting the Filmfare Special Jury Award for the song "Tanha Tanha Yahan Pe Jeena" ("Rangeela", 1995).[20]
• Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Deewana - Music director Anandji had written the lyrics of one antara of this song on his own. When lyricist Indeevar found out about this, he was very unhappy and had asked that he be paid twice his usual fees. Producer Nariman Irani had then decided to drop Indeevar from the film and brought Anjaan on board to write the film's remaining songs.[21]
• Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Deewana - Kalyanji's son Viju Shah played the miniKORG synthesizer for this song. Babla, who also composed the tune of the song, played the Fijian drum lali for it.[22]
• Ee Hai Bambai Nagaria Tu Dekh Babua - Amitabh Bachchan's look in this song was inspired by one of the characters played by Sanjeev Kumar in the film "Naya Din Nai Raat" (1974). In order to perfect his appearance, director Chandra Barot made Amitabh Bachchan eat so many paans (betel leaves) while shooting this song that he developed a mouth burn. The next day they switched to paans without choona (lime).[23][24]

1. ^ Pyar Bhara Dil (1991)
2. ^ Hum Baja Bajaa Denge (2014)
3. ^ Don (2006)
4. ^ Don 2 (2011)
5. ^ Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974)
6. ^ Zindagi Zindagi (1972)
7. ^ Don but Notout
8. ^ Don but Notout
9. ^ Madam X (1994)
10. ^ Kaalia (1981)
11. ^ Mr. India (1961)
12. ^ China Town (1962)
13. ^ Chandra Barot interview
14. ^ Banarasi Babu (1973)
15. ^ Kishore Kumar: The pasha of playback singing announces his retirement
16. ^ Chandra Barot interview
17. ^ Hey mister mandolin man play a classic for me
18. ^ Don't Phunk With My Heart - The Black Eyed Peas
19. ^ Ae Naujawan Hai Sab Kuch Yahan (Apradh, 1972)
20. ^ Tanha Tanha Yahan Pe Jeena (Rangeela, 1995)
21. ^ Don but Notout
22. ^ Babla interview
23. ^ Naya Din Nai Raat (1974)
24. ^ Chandra Barot interview