On the old Don

So the other day, I was reading something somewhere. All I can remember for now was this bit alluding to people not knowing that the old “Don” was not a good movie. And I went “whoa, what was that about?”. But then, as always, work beckoned and I didn’t read further. Maybe I got the context wrong, maybe I should’ve read more. Whatever.

So, last night SET Max was showing the old 1971 1978 "Don" and I saw a bit of the movie. I've seen it before and remain a loyal fan. (Aside - I'd also love to have this poster. Appreciate help if you know where I can get it from.)



So, the bit I saw last night was the sequence of Roma extricating the recuperating Don (i.e. the fake one) from the cops.

In the new “Don”, this was done by the yummylicious Piggy Chops dressed in all whites (tribute to the old one?) lifting the ambulance straight off the road with a crane and zipping away, as the smiling, all-knowing Inspector (Boman Irani - yuck) looks on.

In the old “Don”, this takes place inside the hospital. Zeenat Aman dressed in all whites, as a nurse, goes to Don’s room. She then tells the cop in the room that she has to give Don a sponge bath (!), so the cop goes out. Next, she ties herself with ropes, puts a gag on her mouth, opens the window in the room and leaves a rope hanging out. Then she hops to the door and starts kicking on it so the cops outside know there’s trouble. When they come in, they find her tied and gagged and assume that the Don has escaped.


So where’s he ? She’s hidden him in the loo. She then puts a fake beard on him and gets him out on the wheelchair, strolls it out of the hospital and into the ambulance, which is full of Don’s goons, incl. Narang and Mac. (Aside – I just loved the attention given to side characters in both the Dons). And they’re away. Don’s escaped.

But not yet. By then, the cops have alerted everyone that Don’s escaped. So, the cops at the gate stop the ambulance and question Narang, “Peeche kya hai?” and he goes “Dead body”. So the cops open the back and lift the white cloth over the body. Only to reveal Mac. And the entire episode ends with a shot of Don’s feet sticking out from below the stretcher as the cops close the door of the ambulance.

In my opinion, that entire sequence was brilliant. There are plenty of other clever scenes that I remain in love with. A dead Don in the car with Iftikhar (what a performance!) who doesn’t even realise he’s dead – why didn’t they do this scene in the new version ? And Iftikhar asking Pran – who’s captured him inside a room..

Iftikhar: Kya chahiye tumhe ?
Pran: Aap ki maut. Agar aap ko aitraaz na ho to.

Smooth. So smooth. And so, so Pran. That voice, that look.

In my books, the old "Don" was up there in 1971 1978 and it’s even up there now, in 2006. I thought it was a really good edge-of-the-seat thriller, with twists and turns that seem good even now. And I’m not even talking Helen or Zeenat Aman or whatever. That's stuff for more posts, but then you probably knew it anyway. I thought the old "Don" was a fantastic movie. I try and catch each time it comes on. They don't make 'em like that any more.

PS – turns out what I’d read was on Desipundit and the line was "Btw, I hope people realize that the original Don was actually a pretty bad movie." I don’t agree with that at all.