How Amitabh Bachchan's 'Yes' to Don Changed Bollywood History

• The iconic film Don, initially rejected by 12 producers and refused by superstars Dev Anand, Dharmendra, and Jeetendra due to its morally ambiguous protagonist, found its lead in Amitabh Bachchan.
• Penned by Salim-Javed, the script featured a feared criminal and his look-alike, a concept deemed too risky for the industry's clean-cut hero trend.
• Producer Nariman Irani, in financial distress, received the script free from Salim-Javed. After his tragic death during production, his wife Salma Irani mortgaged her home to complete the film, with Bachchan and Zeenat Aman foregoing remuneration.
• Released shortly after Bachchan's hit Trishul, Don had a modest opening but gained immense popularity through word-of-mouth, becoming a box-office success and a cultural classic.
• Don's success, earning Rs 7.2 crore worldwide on a Rs 1 crore budget, proved audiences were ready for complex characters, influencing future Hindi cinema and spawning a successful franchise with Shah Rukh Khan and now Ranveer Singh.

Why It Matters: Amitabh Bachchan's acceptance of the 'risky' film Don revolutionized Hindi cinema, proving the appeal of complex characters.