DYK: Amitabh Bachchan starrer Don was conceived to pull the producer out of a financial mess?

Don, the 1978 action-drama film with Amitabh Bachchan, continues to be remembered as a classic. 45 years later, film fans rave about how stylish and suave it was for its times. Don remains one of Bachchan’s most iconic roles to date. However, very few people that Don was received purely to help a passionate, creative man who was going through a major financial crisis.

Bachchan, Zeenat Aman put together Don to help producer Nariman Irani

Nariman Irani, who was also the cinematographer on Roti Kapda aur Makaan, had earlier produced a 1972 film Zindagi Zindagi. The film starred Waheeda Rahman and Sunil Dutt in the lead roles. Unfortunately, the film bombed at the box office, and Nariman Irani found himself deeply in debt. It was then that a few of his friends - in particular, Chandra Barot, Zeenat Aman and Amitabh Bachchan decide to come together and do a film to help their friend out of the financial mess.

Director Chandra Barot, who had become friends with Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman during the shoot of Roti Kapda aur Makaan, made a suggestion that they should make an action film. And while the actors agreed to do the film, they still didn’t have a subject for the project.

Director borrowed money on day 1 of Don shoot

Another interesting thing about Don was how it was created from a script that was rejected by half the industry. Many big stars like Dev Anand, Dharmendra and Jeetendra had rejected the script. In a media interaction years later, Chandrra Barot recalled how it had acquired the pejorative title of ‘Don Waali Script’ until Chandra Barot and Amitabh Bachchan decide to make their film around it. 

Don had a superhit soundtrack, comprising of multiple chartbuster songs, including the iconic Asha Bhonsle song Ye Mera Dil. Reportedly, this was the sequence the makers had planned to begin their film’s shoot with. However, on the day of shoot, the producers realised they were short of funds required to erect the set required. So director Chandra Barot borrowed a sum total of Rs. 40,000 from his sister to complete the pending set construction work, and it’s only then the crew carried on to shoot the song with Helen and Amitabh Bachchan which gradually attained such a cult, timeless status. 

Don emerged as a massive box office success. Unfortunately, the man this was all done for, was not alive to see the success. Nariman Irani passed away a few weeks before Don’s release.