As a film and as an event, Amitabh Bachchan’s Don (1978) is one of the most iconic films of Bollywood, with a story that warranted a remake starring the biggest star of the next generation, Shah Rukh Khan. Along with dialogues, songs, and scenes that became a part of pop culture, the film had its fair share of controversy and interesting anecdotes. Lyricist Sameer added to that list recently when he revealed the story behind the song ‘Khaike Paan’ and how the song was never a part of the film but somehow made it to the final cut.While talking to BBC Hindi, Sameer opened up about his career and also the works of his father, the legendary lyricist Anjaan. While discussing his father’s collaboration with big stars, composers, and directors, Sameer talked about Don and said that the song ‘Khaike Paan’ was actually born out of criticism from Javed Akhtar and Manoj Kumar. He said, “The truth is that song was never in the film. When Manoj Kumar and Javed Akhtar saw the film for the first time, they thought that the second half of the film was dragging. They said that the film had too much action and no relief at all. So both of them suggested that there should be a song in there somewhere, and for that they called my father.”ALSO READ: ‘David Dhawan made Sarkai Lo Khatiya vulgar’: Lyricist Sameer defends Govinda song, blames Madhuri Dixit’s ‘Choli ke Peeche’ for boom in ‘double-meaning’ Bollywood songsTalking about the technicalities of the song and the process his father went through while writing the track, Sameer said, “So they already had a song with similar characteristics in the film, which was ‘Yeh Hai Bambai Nagaria.’ My father felt that the song was already a hit. Hence, he decided to write a similar song, and then he wrote ‘Khaike Paan.’ Kalyanji-Anandji initially thought that a song about paan wasn’t going to work, but Javed Sahab told them that the song had to be there, no matter what.” He then added that convincing everyone was just half the battle won, as they now had to record the song with Kishore Kumar.He said, “When the song finally got green-lit, and Kishore Kumar came for the recording, he did exactly what was expected. Whenever he would come for a recording, he used to cause such hungama (chaos). Then he had a problem with some words, such as ‘chaka-chak‘ and ‘khaike,’ and said that he would pronounce it ‘khaake’. My father pleaded with him and told him that these words are part of his culture and language, and the song won’t feel genuine without them. Kishore then had paan and ordered a peekdaan (spit-bowl) and said that I will give just one take. But once he gave that take, it felt like it wasn’t Kishore but a guy born and raised in the streets of Banaras.”Despite the hurdles that were across the way, the film made it to the theatres and instantly became one of Big B’s defining roles. It was helmed by Chandra Barot and boasted a cast including Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Pran, Iftekhar, and Satyen Kappu.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd