What intrigued me is the fact that Chandra Barot’s DON attained the cult status in India, proved to be an iconic thriller and dialogues constantly mouthed by innumerable fans. Also, it was Barot’s first movie as a Director then why after such an exalted success he never came up with his other movie down the memory lane. He did though but after a long gap in 1991. After the release of DON there was a long queue of Producer’s at Chandra Barot’s Peddar Road home. But, destiny had its own plans and the future was not as rosy as we would have imagined. The primary reason for the project DON being the director Chandra wanted to help his friend the producer of the movie Nariman A. Irani who had suffered big financial setback.
Chandra Barot – The Director’s Creativity
Director Chandra Barot finished his Senior Cambridge Examination in 1959 and had spent most of his life in Dar es Salaam. Between his Senior Cambridge Examinations and results he had 6 months time frame. His father mentioned him about part time vacancy at Barclays Bank. Chandra immediately took up the offer at Barclays Bank and worked with the organization not for 6 months but full time for brie period of nine years making it as his full time profession. Very few can imagine a Corporate Executive from an MNC goes ahead in life to become a Creative Director. Chandra was known for dressing well and flaunting fancy accessories he possessed then.
Amitabh Bachchan’s Electrifying Entry Rich Baritone Voice (Yeh Dus Lakh Ka Sona Tho Mein Bhool Jaunga Raj Singh Magar Tumhe Yaad Rakhunga)
Amitabh Bachchan's graceful entry in the 1978 movie DON the opening sequence was shot what today is called as Navi Mumbai just before CIDCO showcasing sprawling land and vast expanse of grass. Amitabh Bachchan impeccably dressed going well with his personal Ray-Ban glasses which he had bought from London.
Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman (Mujhe junglee billiyan pasand hai . . . Thank you Don)
Observation being Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman are not shown together in this scene. Amitabh is mouthing his famous dialogue (Mujhe junglee billiyan pasand hai) in Sea Rock Hotel whereas Zeenat Aman's shot was completed at Mehboob Studios ('Thank you, Don'). The two scenes were later merged.
"Ye Mera Dil Pyaar Ka Deewana"
While there have been many hit songs that feature Amitabh Bachchan but "Ye Mera Dil Pyaar Ka Deewana" song from the movie DON is amongst the first few songs of Amitabh Bachchan which feature just him and the opposite cast (Helen) in this song and no one else. We had earlier seen him feature in the song say from Bombay to Goa but that was amongst a group of people. Hence this song sets him apart from the rest of the pack. Yes, later after the movie DON we did see Amitabh Bachchan feature in many more toe-tapping numbers who came up with his own dancing style.
The song, "Ye Mera Dil Pyaar Ka Deewana" was the first song from the movie DON which was shot in the leading studios in Mumbai, Mehboob Studios (Bandra). The look and feel gives one the impression it was shot in one of the leading hotels in the suburbs. The check style jacket and the emerald green colored shirt which Amitabh wore in this song was the same one he had purchased it from Cecil Gee - London's Leading Stylist for men's wear. Not to forget Amitabh Bachchan's graceful entry in the movie impeccably dressed with his personal Ray-Ban glasses was also bought from London during his visit.
The song, "Ye Mera Dil Pyaar Ka Deewana" was the first song from the movie DON which was shot in the leading studios in Mumbai, Mehboob Studios (Bandra). Lyrics were by Indeevar Saab and melodious voice was of Asha Ji for this pulsating song. The word Dil in this song makes it sound that this song is romantic but in reality, it was never a romantic number. On the contrary, in this song, Helen tries to seek revenge with Amitabh for having killed her fiance. Helen had already performed earlier in numbers like, "O Haseena Zulfonwaali" and "Piya Tu Aab Tho Aaja". So, far Helen to perform this number "Ye Mera Dil Pyaar Ka Deewana" wasn’t too difficult. Kalyanji Anandji's music continues to soothe the ears of music lovers even today. I equally love the background music heard during thriller or action sequence in this movie. Dialogues none other than Salim-Javed.
The choreographer for the song was P L Raj (birth name Devraj Peter Lewis) who was in his early 30's while the movie DON was in the making. He was amongst the leading choreographer during 60s and 70s within Hindi Cinema. In 2001, P L Raj was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for technical excellence. Today, his son Lesle Peter Lewis is a popular composer and a member of the duo Colonial Cousins.
Director Chandra Barot’s DON attained the cult status in India, proved to be an iconic thriller and dialogues constantly mouthed by innumerable fans. The primary reason for the project DON being the director Chandra wanted to help his friend the producer of the movie Nariman A Irani who had suffered a big financial setback.
Director Chandra Barot finished his Senior Cambridge Examination in 1959 and had spent most of his life in Dar es Salaam. Between his Senior Cambridge Examinations and results, he had 6 months time frame. His father mentioned him about part time vacancy at Barclays Bank. Chandra immediately took up the offer at Barclays Bank and worked with the organization, not for 6 months but full time for a brief period of nine years making it as his full-time profession. Very few can imagine a Corporate Executive from an MNC goes ahead in life to become a Creative Director. Chandra was known for dressing well and flaunting fancy accessories he possessed then.
I dedicate this piece to all the fans of the 1978 movie DON. Watching the movie (several times) I had the impression that DON means a Man in Powerful Position but now I also view it from Spanish angle meaning “Nobleman” or "Gentleman" expressing honour or respect to highly respected Mr. Amitabh Bachchan Ji and also to the whole crew of the 1978 starrer DON for giving each one of us an iconic thriller.
