Amitabh Bachchan reveals how classic cult film 'Don' came to be
MUMBAI: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has shared the story behind the title of his 1978 blockbuster "Don", saying that many industry veterans were not happy with the choice of the film's name.
On Sunday, the 76-year-old actor celebrated the 41st anniversary of the release of "Don", which is one of the most popular characters essayed by him.
"'Don' was a name title that no one in the market approved of. They never understood what it meant and never felt that a name such as 'DON' was material for the title of a Hindi film. In fact, if truth be told for many it was quite an amusing title," Bachchan wrote on his blog.
The "Badla" star also shared a funny anecdote on the film title's comparison with a "very popular brand of vests".
"They were carrying the name 'DAWN'. DON phonetically sounded much like that brand of undergarment in the market. There was consternation in titling a film that conveyed an undergarment," he added.
The actor revealed after the release of Hollywood classic "Godfather", the title 'Don' became "respectable".
"Much later, of course, with the 'Godfather' series the word garnered enough publicity and reckoning, to be respectable enough. But till then, initially, it was in the realm of humour."
The film was written by popular writer duo Salim-Javed and directed by Chandra Barot.
It also starred Zeenat Aman, Iftekhar, Helen and Pran.
Due to its popularity, it was again rebooted in 2006 with a star cast of Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra, with Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Boman Irani, Isha Koppikar, and Om Puri appearing in supporting roles.
The movie was directed by Farhan Akhtar.