Made for Rs 5 crore, this movie was a huge hit, but still ruined the producer’s life due to…, movie was…
Behind the swagger of Don, which was made for 5 crore, and the swagger of “Khaike Paan Banaras Wala” lies a story steeped in debt, desperation, and an unexpected tragedy. What you saw on screen was silver, but off-screen, it was survival.
After a bunch of hits like Zanjeer, Deewaar, and Sholay, Amitabh Bachchan cemented his place in Bollywood with Don. But behind the camera, producer Nariman Irani was drowning in debt. This would tragically become his last film, despite it being a hit. The profits from Don didn’t make him rich; they were used to pay off everything he owed.
Who insisted on “Khaike Paan Banaras Wala”?
That one iconic song rarely happened. Lyricist Sameer Anjaan recalled that Javed Akhtar was adamant the film needed a new song in the second half to break the monotony of action. But the problem? The production had zero budget.
“The poor producer was in such a bad state because of the film that he didn’t even have money for food,” Sameer said.
Nariman Irani resisted. There was no money, no time, no set. But Javed wouldn’t budge. Eventually, the team shot the song in a makeshift tabela (a rural cow shed) in Goregaon, just a day before Bachchan was set to leave the country. It was rushed, raw, and unplanned—yet it became one of the most beloved songs in Indian cinema.
What happened to Nariman Irani?
Despite Don becoming a commercial success, Irani didn’t live to see its premiere. Just weeks before its release, he died in a freak accident, crushed by a wall during a cloudburst on the set of another film. His death left the cast and crew heartbroken.
Director Chandra Barot later shared that Don was made by friends trying to help Nariman clear his debts. Even with a modest budget of Rs 25 lakh, they created something truly magical.
What did the cast say about Irani?
Zeenat Aman, who starred opposite Amitabh Bachchan, remembered the film as a family project. “When he passed away, I did not take any of my remuneration. I just wrote all of it off,” she said.
Barot and others ensured the money made from the film was handed to Irani’s widow, Salma, to help her repay the debts he left behind.
A legacy bigger than its Box Office
Don didn’t just boost Amitabh’s superstardom; it became a franchise. Shah Rukh Khan starred in the 2006 remake and its sequel, and a reboot with Ranveer Singh is currently in the works. But the soul of the original Don lies in what the audience never saw: a producer’s struggle, a friend’s stubbornness, and an industry that came together like family.
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