Don (1978 film)

Don is a 1978 Indian Hindi-language crime action thriller film directed by Chandra Barot, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman and Pran. Written by Salim–Javed, and produced by Nariman Irani, the film also features Iftekhar, Om Shivpuri, and Satyen Kappu in pivotal roles. Bachchan played dual roles, as the titular character and his lookalike simpleton. The plot revolves around Vijay, a Bombay slum-dweller who resembles the powerful criminal Don, being asked by Police Superintendent D'Silva to masquerade as Don after the latter's death in order to act as an informant for the police and track down the root of the criminal organization. The film features music by Kalyanji–Anandji, with lyrics by Anjaan and Indeevar.

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Don
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Chandra Barot
Written by	Salim–Javed
Produced by	Nariman Irani
Starring	Amitabh Bachchan Zeenat Aman Pran
Cinematography	Nariman Irani
Edited by	Waman Rao
Music by	Kalyanji–Anandji
Production company	Nariman Films
Release date	12 May 1978 (1978-05-12)
Running time	166 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	est. ₹70 lakh[1][2]
Box office	est. ₹7 crore[3]

It was the third highest-grossing Indian film of 1978, and was classified a golden jubilee by Box Office India.[3][4]^{[unreliable source?]}

The film spawned the Don franchise; Javed Akhtar's son Farhan Akhtar created a remake Don: The Chase Begins Again (2006) and its sequel Don 2 (2011), both starring Shah Rukh Khan. It also inspired several South Indian remakes, including the Telugu film Yugandhar (1979) and the Tamil film Billa (1980), a breakthrough film for Rajinikanth.[5] Don is also known for its theme music, which was used in the American Dad! episode "Tearjerker" (2008). The intro to "Yeh Mera Dil" was sampled by the Black Eyed Peas for the song "Don't Phunk with My Heart" (2005).[6]