Don (1978)

Don, a wanted criminal, dies in a police chase. DSP D'Silva is the only one who knows about his death, and to get hold of the gang he trains Don-lookalike Vijay. But Vijay faces danger from the police and from within the gang.

Director:

Chandra Barot

Writers:

Javed Akhtar (dialogue) (as Salim Javed), Javed Akhtar (screenplay) (as Salim Javed)

Stars:

Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Pran

Top Rated Indian Movies #176 | 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Amitabh Bachchan	...	Don / Vijay
Zeenat Aman	...	Roma
Pran	...	Jasjit (J.J.)
Iftekhar	...	DSP D'Silva (as Iftikhar)
Om Shivpuri	...	Vardan - Fake Interpol Officer R.K. Malik
Satyendra Kapoor	...	Inspector S. Verma (as Satyen Kapoo)
Paidi Jairaj	...	Dayal (Judo Karate Instructor) (as P. Jairaj)
Kamal Kapoor	...	Narang
Arpana Choudhary	...	Anita (as Arpana Choudhry)
Helen	...	Kamini
M.B. Shetty	...	Shakaal (as Shetty)
Mac Mohan	...	Mac
Azaad Irani	...	Azad (as Azad)
Yusuf Khan	...	(as Yashraj)
Devaraj	...	(as Devraj)

Storyline

A ruthless gangster named Don is killed during a scuffle with the police. Since only DSP Desilva knows of this incident, he recruits another person named Vijay who is a spitting image of Don. Vijay is planted in Don's place in Don's gang and DeSilva has a plan to nab the entire gang in this way. But when Desilva dies during a raid, the secret that Vijay is not Don is also buried with him. Now Vijay is on the run - from the police and the criminal gang - and has to find the last piece of evidence to prove his real identity before it is too late.

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Plot Keywords:

forename in title | held at gunpoint | impersonation | shot in the leg | cemetery | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

4e Regiment song " Kalyanji Anandji" sampled the Title music of Don. This was included in the International album titled, Xperience Beats Volume 2.

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Goofs

The Desoto's left headlight and fender is damaged. But in between shots, the Desoto is left intact, then damaged again.

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Quotes

Narang: Let's see if you only remember your friends' names, or your work and your enemies as well.

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Connections

Referenced in Sarabhai V/S Sarabhai: Sharman Kapadia's Trouble (2005)

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Soundtracks

Khaike Paan Banaraswala
Sung by Amitabh Bachchan and Kishore Kumar
Composed by Kalyanji Veerji Shah and Anandji Veerji Shah
Lyrics by Anjaan

User Reviews

Sweet!

Don is a very bad boy. In an international syndicate of smugglers, Don is the meanest of them all. Mess with Don and you're dead. It's not just difficult to catch the Don... it's impossible!

Amitabh Bachchan plays Don like every cool dude rolled into one - Shaft, Dirty Harry, and err... other cool dudes! That is until he takes a bullet 30 minutes into the movie and dies. "Wait a minute - this movie is 3 hours long, and they've killed the title character already!" is bound to be your first thought at this. But it's alright, because the only man to see him die, the police 'DSP', happens to know of a man who is Don's exact double... and he has a plan. He trains up the amiable betel-nut chewing street performer in the ways of the Don, and sends him undercover to root out evidence against the rest of the gang. Here Amitabh gets to show his range - from badass cool dude to goofball to goofball pretending to be a badass cool dude, he fits the role (and those flared trousers) to a tee.

Don has clearly been made from concentrated 1970's extract... and it's cheesier than a McDonald's Cheeseburger where they forgot to give you everything but the cheese - and when you go up to the counter to complain, they just give you more cheese . But even though you know it's probably going to make you fat and give you spots, you can't help going back for more. The movie manages to straddle that fine line between inspiration and idiocy where you find the rarest of substances - pure entertainment.

This is not a movie to be taken seriously, and it could hardly be called a movie of great technical virtue. But Amitabh Bachchan takes the role(s) and gives them such a lot of character and life you can't help but love watching him. The crew of flared and paisleyed crooks and goons and the kung fu fighting revenge babe, the crippled tight rope walker and the well meaning but mostly simple police officers all make the Don's world an interesting environment to watch Amitabh at work and play too.

And then there's the zoom lenses, the toe tapping funk tunes, the chase scenes that seem to leap miles between each cut, the fight scenes that are acted out in courteous slow motion (when they're not being bounced around on trampolines)... the song and dance routine opining on the virtues of mixing opiates and stimulants... With Tears Of The Black Tiger and Don all in one weekend I feel guilty, like I've just eaten a whole triple chocolate cake in one sitting... life just shouldn't be this much fun!

If you've got 3 hours going spare, let the Don into your life too and he'll make you a happy chappy - I guarantee it!

Details

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

12 May 1978 (India)

Also Known As:

E chamaram-lhe Don

Filming Locations:

Chandivali Studio, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Box Office

Budget:

INR50,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nariman Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

175 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color