The Making of Don

About The Book When Chandra Barot set out to make Don, it was not with the idea of giving birth to one of India's most iconic thrillers but to make a good film for a good cause. No one involved with the film foresaw the kind of overarching impact it would have, not only in terms of its success at the box office but in spawning a cult phenomenon that would stay strong for more than thirty years with its slick theme, fantastic music and unforgettable dialogues, that is what Don became. The journey of Don was not an easy one. There were some close shaves before it all came together: Iftekhar's role was eyed by a big star of the 1960s; getting Kalyanji-Anandji to compose the score called for a delicate balancing act; it was only thanks to the shrewd advice of a mentor that the super-successful 'Khaike Paan Banaraswala' was included at the very last minute. Why did Chandra Barot decide on such a short name for the film? How did Dev Anand almost play spoilsport for a crucial scene? What personal intrigues did the actors engage in behind the scenes? Who (not Amitabh Bachchan!) was paid the most for the film? Krishna Gopalan answers these questions, and more, and tells a tale that is as compelling as the one that made it to the theatres. A fast-paced narrative born out of interviews with the cast and crew, and supplemented with rare photographs from the director's archives, The Making of Don is the story of one of Bollywood's most memorable classics.