Farhan Akhtar’s Don which turns 18 on October 20 was not easy to do. Farhan had to struggle to get the rights of the original. A certain procedure had to be followed in getting the remake rights. Farhan had to put in a public notice in the trade papers announcing his intentions to remake the film. The late producer Nariman Irani’s wife, Salma Irani, had to give her consent.
Recalled Farhan in a throwback interview, “I wanted to make Don with the title and the characters being called as per the original . I want to remake Don as I’d like to see it. Mera apna Don. Comparisons are bound to happen. That won’t deter me from making Don the way I want to. I don’t want either my Don or the other Don to look foolish. I feel more people will come to watch my Don just to compare it with the old one. For me, it’s exciting because everyone involved with my project is equally excited. Everyone on board is here for the love of Don.”
The original Don directed by Chandra Barot was Farhan’s favourite Amitabh Bachchan film. “It’s the one Amitabh Bachchan flick that has stayed with me since my childhood. I think of all the cool films he did in the 70s, Don was the coolest. Of course, Deewaar and Sholay are superior films. But Don is cooler and funkier. I’d put Mr Bachchan’s character up there with Dostana in terms his sharp-witted and wry dialogues and attitude. My Don will be a re-interpretation of one of my favourite films. It will be much lighter to do than Lakshya. Shah Rukh is playing the double role of Don and Vijay. He’s absolutely the correct age for the part. And he also loved the movie. He’s extremely excited about playing Don. We’re both fans of the film. So it would be great fun to recreate the magic.”
