Some lesser known facts about Amitabh Bachchan’s blockbuster “Don”

Don is a 1978 Indian Hindi-language crime action thriller film directed by Chandra Barot, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman and Pran. Written by Salim–Javed, and produced by Nariman Irani, the film also features Iftekhar, Om Shivpuri, and Satyen Kappu in pivotal roles

Here are some unknown facts about the 1978 film “Don”

1. The character of “Don” was initially offered to several other actors, including Dev Anand and Dharmendra, before Amitabh Bachchan was finally cast in the role.
2. The iconic song “Khaike Paan Banaraswala” was initially meant to be a duet between Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle. However, during the recording, Kishore Kumar suggested that he sings the entire song himself and the rest is history.
3. Don was first remade in 1979 in Telugu as Yugandhar, starring NTR, Jayasudha and Jayamalini.
4. Don was remade in in Tamil film titled” Billa” ” starring Rajinikanth. The producers of “Billa ” bought the rights to the film for Rs. 5,000.
5. In 1986, the movie was remade in Malayalam as Shobaraj, starring Mohanlal and Madhavi.
6. In 1991, the movie was remade into a Punjabi language Pakistani movie titled Cobra, starring Sultan Rahi and Nadira.
7. The scene where Amitabh Bachchan walks out of the prison disguised as a woman was actually shot in Mumbai’s Crawford Market. The production team had to shoot the scene secretly as they did not have the necessary permissions to shoot in public.
8. The famous car chase scene in the film was inspired by the Hollywood film “Bullitt” (1968), which starred Steve McQueen.
9. The film was shot over a period of 180 days and was completed on a budget of Rs. 70 lakhs. It went on to become a massive box office success, grossing over Rs. 7 crores.
10. The film’s director, Chandra Barot, went on to direct only two more films after “Don” – “Ek Aur Ek Gyarah” (1981) and “Aag Ka Gola” (1990).
11. The film’s ending, where it is revealed that the “Don” who is arrested is actually his lookalike Vijay, was added after the initial ending did not test well with audiences. This ending is now considered one of the most iconic twists in Indian cinema.