Latest news with #NarimanIrani
India.com
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
This film was rejected by Dev Anand-Jeetendra, another superstar did it, became huge blockbuster, earned Rs 2.5 crores in budget of Rs 70 lakhs, movie is…, lead actors were…
Back in the late '70s, a filmmaker trapped in heavy debt decided to roll the dice on a small-budget movie. Released in 1978, the film wasn't expected to do wonders; it was just a last attempt to clear dues. But destiny had different plans. With a gripping story, memorable characters, and unexpected public love, the film turned into a surprise box office success. Which film is this? Here we are talking about the 1978 action thriller 'Don', helmed by late Chandra Barot, who has passed away at the age of 86. He was ill for a long time. Don is counted among iconic Bollywood films, which not only gave Big B the image of an angry young man. But also made the producer rich. The budget of the film was around Rs 70 lakh, which included production and marketing costs. It was a medium budget film for that time, because in the 1970s, big budget films were usually less than Rs 1 crore. It was produced by Nariman Irani. Salim-Javed's script and Amitabh Bachchan's powerful double role made this film special for the cinema lovers. However, producer Nariman Irani, who was a cameraman, had his first film, Zindagi Zindagi, with Sunil Dutt flop badly, after which he had a huge debt of about 12 lakh rupees. To get out of this problem, Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Chandra Barot and Manoj Kumar advised him to make another film, which was Don. When Dev Anand and Jeetendra rejected Don However, getting the script was not easy, as writers Salim-Javed were reluctant to sell the script for a long time. But director Chandra Barot and producer Nariman Irani finally bought it. However, it was rejected by Dev Anand, Prakash Mehra and Jeetendra before Amitabh Bachchan said yes. Initially, the script did not even have a name. While there was a script related to a character called Don. When Nariman Irani approached Salim, he said, 'We have a breakfast script lying around which no one is taking.' And Nariman said okay. And this is how the film Don was made. How Was The box office reception of Don? Talking about the box office collection, it earned a net collection of Rs 2.5 crores and a gross collection of Rs 3.2 crores in India. The worldwide gross was around Rs 3.5 crores because at that time, the release of Hindi films in the foreign market was limited. The situation was such that Don turned out to be one of the highest-grossing films of 1978 and was declared a blockbuster.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
When Chandra Barot recalled Amitabh Bachchan's Don being declared a flop and how Manoj Kumar's advice saved the film
Filmmaker Chandra Barot, best known for directing Amitabh Bachchan's cult classic Don, passed away on Sunday at the age of 86 following a prolonged battle with pulmonary fibrosis. While Don eventually went on to become a landmark film for both him and Big B, it wasn't an easy project to complete and release. In an old interview with Syed Firdaus Ashraf, Chandra Barot had revealed that Don faced severe financial troubles and was even declared a flop on the day of its release. He shared that the film's producer, Nariman Irani, passed away six months before its release, leaving the team without any money for promotions. This put the movie at a disadvantage as it was competing with major releases like Yash Chopra's Trishul and Shashi Kapoor's Satyam Shivam Sundaram. Adding to the challenge was the fact that Chandra was a debutant director. He said, 'Don was to hit screens on May 12, 1978. Two weeks before that date, Yash Chopra's Trishul was released and became a big hit. We had no money to promote Don because the producer Nariman Irani died six months before the release. There were other films out at around the same time — including Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Prakash Mehra's Muqaddar Ka Sikandar — and I, as a debutant director, was a dwarf compared to them.' Chandra Barot also admitted that the pressure was high since Don was the only solo Amitabh Bachchan-starrer at the time, as his other films were all multi-starrers. He said, 'Moreover, Don was the only Amitabh film with him as the lead; his other projects were all multi-starrers. So, I was obviously nervous.' Chandra Barot revealed that the film was made on a modest budget of Rs 25 lakh. After the producer's death, they had to wrap the film on a constrained budget and couldn't afford any promotions. This lack of publicity meant there was barely any footfall on the first day. He explained, 'Don was shot with a budget of around Rs 25 lakh. After Nariman Irani's death, we somehow managed to wrap the film without any money for promotion.' However, luck was on their side. The song 'Khaike Paan Banaraswala' struck a chord with audiences and pulled them into theatres. The film's turnaround was driven entirely by word-of-mouth. 'It was a big disappointment and declared a flop because not many people turned up. Luckily for me, within a week, the song Khaike Paan Banaraswala became a big hit. Word of mouth publicity led to the film becoming a big hit from the second week on. It ran for 50 weeks in all centres and for 75 weeks in Hyderabad,' he said. Chandra Barot credited the film's music director Babla and actor Manoj Kumar for the film's success. The latter had advised him to add a song to provide relief from the fast-paced narrative. 'I must also thank Manoj Kumar, who told me a song was needed. When he saw it, he said the film was too tight. He said it made taking a toilet break difficult, because the story was so gripping! So, we included that song,' he said. In the end, Don's team ensured that the film's success helped deceased Nariman Irani's family. Sharing how they helped pay back the debts of the late producer, Chandra said, 'When it became a big hit, we gave the money to Salma Irani, the producer's widow, to settle her husband's debts.'
India.com
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
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.
