Amitabh Bachchan reveals how 'Don' got its title
Mumbai: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has shared the story behind the title of his 1973 blockbuster "Don", saying that many of the industry veterans were not happy with the choice of the film's name.
On Sunday, the 76-year-old actor celebrated the 41st anniversary of the release of "Don", which is one of the most popular characters essayed by him.
"'Don' was a name title that no one in the market approved of. They never understood what it meant and never felt that a name such as 'DON' was material for the title of a Hindi film. In fact if truth be told... for many it was quite an amusing title," Bachchan wrote on his blog.
The "Badla" star also shared a funny anecdote on the film title's comparison with a "very popular brand of vests".
"They were carrying the name 'DAWN'. DON phonetically sounded much like that brand of undergarment in the market. There was consternation in titling a film that conveyed an undergarment," he added.
The actor revealed after the release of Hollywood classic "Godfather", the title 'Don' became "respectable".
"Much later of course with the 'Godfather' series the word garnered enough publicity and reckoning, to be respectable enough. But till then initially it was in the realm of humour."
The film was written by popular writer duo Salim-Javed and directed by Chandra Barot. It also starred Zeenat Aman, Iftekhar, Helen and Pran.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Women's bill: This is democracy, not Hitler rule, says Dy CM Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday criticised the BJP-led Centre over the timing and handling of the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill, saying the opposition was not taken into confidence.
He also called for wider consultation in a democratic framework.
The deputy CM said the Congress has consistently supported women’s reservation, but objected to the manner in which the Bill was brought forward, alleging that it was introduced without adequate discussion with opposition parties.
“This is democracy; this is not a Hitler-style rule. They cannot bring it in the middle of elections and try to alter the entire constituencies,” Shivakumar told reporters here.
The Deputy Chief Minister maintained that the move should have been discussed across party lines.
ALSO READ: Four dead in highway pile-up in Karnataka
“They have to take everyone into confidence, but they have not done that. That is why the opposition parties have done a very good job. So, it is a victory of the INDIA alliance,” Shivakumar, who is Congress Karnataka unit president, said.
He was speaking about the setback to the BJP-led Central government, where a Constitution Amendment Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated on Friday, with the ruling dispensation asserting that the struggle to give the rights to women will continue.
While 298 members voted in support of the bill in Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-third majority.
According to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to 816 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats were also to be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
Responding to BJP’s charge that the Congress is anti-women, he said, “This is not anyone’s personal property—women are the nation’s asset. We had passed this in the Rajya Sabha and Congress has already given 50 per cent reservation to women in local bodies. Even today, we support it.”
Alleging that the proposed changes could impact regional representation, Shivakumar said, “Without consulting us, they are trying to redraw constituencies, giving more weight to North India and reducing representation in South India. No one can tolerate this.”
He added that leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and several South Indian Chief Ministers have opposed the move, terming the defeat of the bills a "major victory for democracy".
The Congress Karnataka chief asserted that the Congress and the INDIA bloc stand firmly in support of women’s rights.
