Bollywood Stars Worked for Free: Three Films, Two Blockbusters, One Cult Classic

• Raj Kapoor's 1973 film Bobby, made on a budget of 30 lakhs, became a blockbuster, earning 90 lakhs and helping him clear debts after Mera Naam Joker flopped.
• Pran, Prem Nath, and Prem Chopra worked for just one rupee in Bobby; Pran later returned a 1 lakh check, ending his friendship with Raj Kapoor.
• Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, and Pran worked for free in the 1978 film Don to help producer Nariman Irani, who was in debt after his previous film flopped.
• Nariman Irani passed away during Don's production; director Chandra Barot completed the film, which initially struggled but later became a hit, earning Amitabh a Filmfare Award.
• Kundan Shah's 1983 cult classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, a low-budget film exposing government corruption, was made with 7 lakh rupees from NFDC and featured a memorable Mahabharata climax.

Why It Matters: Three iconic Bollywood films saw actors work for free, leading to two blockbusters and one cult classic.