Don: 1978-Forever

‘Don… Don…Don’… and then the iconic tune—that’s how memory structures guide responses of Hindi cinema lovers when these three letters appear together. Don, one of the most iconic films, and its various versions cutting across generations—Don (1978), Don (2006), and Don 2 (2011)—enjoys a cult status. Along with the storyline of the three films, the characters of the protagonists, too, have managed to reside in public memory. Whether its Roma or Narang, Jasjit or Malik. The film is a fascinating reading of the changing value systems of society, which is reflected in the nuances of the characters.

Don (1978) is one of the most glorious hits of Salim-Javed’s career. Directed by Chandra Barot, it outlandishly portrays an aspirational villain. With this film, Amitabh Bachchan transformed the metaphor of an ‘Angry Young Man’ to a swashbuckling ‘villain’. He is unapologetically angry and ambitious, with a dubious moral compass. Until now, morality and the ideas of right and wrong were rooted in an inherent goodness. When someone is on the right side of law, conformity and societal respect, they automatically earn the approval needed.

In the 1970s, in cinema and society, India was angry at, and disillusioned with the Nehruvian promise. So, the enemy represented became deprivation, class struggles, and inherent societal disparity. Indians were angry and hurt because of unfulfilled dreams but still had the gumption to be ambitious enough to raise themselves beyond the struggle to survive. And it was that unapologetic relationship with ambition and the desire for a life full of materialistic comforts that various Vijays came to embody.

The 1978 Don differs in its aspiration towards the outlaw. And it was this outlaw who was enjoying power and every materialistic pleasure in the world. This includes sexual intimacy with attractive women—the proverbial moll, who was incidentally a free-thinking woman with sexual agency, who smoked and drank and was the opposite of the ‘Sita’ prototype of a submissive, patriarchally-acceptable, ever-nurturing woman.

He was a powerful and stylish villain with a hint of arrogance. Owned a fleet of cars and was powerful—things that India aspired for in those days. And yet, as it always happens in stories, where ‘good’ triumphs over ‘evil’, the film’s plot twists lead to the purging of Don’s world. Again, it’s finally ‘Vijay’ who wins against ‘Don’.

The ‘Vijay’ here was underprivileged yet righteous, willing to put his life at stake for the greater good, and for the education of orphans he found on the road. This righteousness, that became the hallmark of the 1970s commercial films, is testimony of how society then valued this trait. Despite being angry and deprived, materialistic success and respect in society mattered only if it came through righteousness—then the most valued virtue. Ideas of progress that were still rooted in the collective were desirable. The basic expectation of sensitivity and humanity drove the moral compass of the time. D’Silva, ensuring a formal burial for Don, is an image of humanity in death, and in law and order. The restoration of ‘insaniyat’ that was definitive of the 1970s, that rejected singular authoritarianism and prided itself on the idea of a collective.

With a towering character and the figure of Don, all other characters in the film were unmissable. They were all powerful and interesting with backstories that could work for individual films. Whether it was D’Silva with his orchestration to end Don’s crime circuit, or Roma (Zeenat Aman), the angry sister waiting to avenge her dead brother, Jasjit (Pran) wronged by Don seeking his children, Kamini (Helen) avenging the death of her fiancée, Vardhan (Om Shivpuri) as the criminal mastermind, Narang (Kamal Kapoor) as a key gang member—each of these characters built and added texture to the story, twists and nuances of Don. The film moves from highlight to highlight with a crisp edit (Waman Rao). The timelessness of Don can also be attributed to its breathless and constantly engaging pace, which is its great strength.

So, what then does the reimagining of Don do? 2006 was a different time, with different value systems, a completely evolved aesthetic and peak consumerist values (25 years to economic liberalization). Don (Shah Rukh Khan) was now suave, violent, brutal, arrogant, stylish and reveling in his power. The outlaw rejoiced in the mayhem he unleashed and loved being the villain. This relish of power was more apparent, even as some of the most iconic scenes were recreated.

India was slowly rejecting the idea of an aging moral compass to decide their ideas of progress. Progress was less collective and more individual, driven by fame, glory and adulation. Khan—who embodied all ideas of rising India in true righteousness and togetherness—was loved for his individual identity and was the poster boy of everything unattainable. The idea of Don surviving was full of attitude, capability, freedom and joy. The young rediscovered Don is a taste that was akin to their palette. The film completed 18 years on October 20.

With Don surviving, Don’s next chapter seemed inevitable. Don 2 (2011) opened up the imagination of where Don could go. Without straddling the responsibility of a remake and having had the previous Don immensely successful—Don 2 could completely explore the heist. Complete with the same attitude of Don, who reveled in his wickedness and success, the film orchestrated the ‘perfect crime’. With new characters, new twists and a much grander scale of the crime, Don 2 carried through with the idioms set in Don, and scaled them. Five years at the heels of Don, Don 2 was a sequel, weaving in characters, music and iconicity from the previous chapter of the franchise, maintaining an exciting pace.

As Don 3 approaches, with yet another change of guard in Don, it will be fascinating to see the reflection of cultural nuance in the new Don, now to have Ranveer Singh’s interpretation. As we move into worlds of recent nostalgia, with buying capacities increasing for the upper middle-class, who are re-engaging with films they once grew up with, Don 3 will have more to straddle.

A change of guard is never easy, but it’s always new. The semiotic of the trailer is grunge, and already has an attitude, is dramatic, and is reminiscent of cinema from Chennai. With Don 3, what now will be the nature of crime? What will its relationship with culture be? Will the survival of Don this time too (if it happens) be celebrated? Or will it be questioned? Don, reinterpreted, reimagined is exciting and timeless. Because we keep going back to its genesis, and it is true nature of a rebel and an outlaw posing a condescending challenge to authority, law and conformity each time.

‘Don ka intezaar toh 11 mulkon ki police kar rahi hai, lekin Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahin, namumkin hai.’