Zeenat Reflects on the Amount of Paan Big B Enjoyed for ‘Khaike Paan Banaras Wala’

Mumbai, Dec 10 (NationPress) Esteemed Bollywood star Zeenat Aman reminisced about the legendary song ‘Khaike Paan Banaras Wala’, which she noted was initially crafted for Dev Anand’s film “Banarasi Babu”. The actress highlighted that what stands out most in her memory is the sheer volume of paan that megastar Amitabh Bachchan indulged in while filming the song.

Zeenat took to Instagram to share a clip of the song, which debuted in the 1978 film “Don”, featuring Big B in a dual role, alongside Zeenat, Pran, Iftekhar, Om Shivpuri, and Satyen Kappu in supporting roles.

She wrote: “If you work in a team industry and are blessed with a bit of luck, you may get to play a small part in creating enduring creative and cultural magic.”

The actress mentioned that the song was initially turned down for the 1973 film “Banarasi Babu”, starring Dev Anand, as it was deemed too “frivolous”.

“Rumour has it that ‘Khaike Paan Banaraswala’ wasn’t originally meant to be included in Don. It was created for Dev Anand’s Banarasi Babu, but had been rejected as too frivolous.”

She went on to explain that “Don” director Chandra Barot had wrapped up his action thriller featuring Amitabh Bachchan in a double role, but realized the second half of the film required some relief from the intense storyline.

“And so, long after the film had wrapped, the cast and crew arrived at Mehboob Studio to shoot a new video.”

“With crackling, innuendo-laden lyrics, an irresistible beat, Kishore Kumar on vocals, and a spirited performance by Mr. Bachchan, ‘Khaike Paan Banaraswala’ emerged as a surprise hit.”

She added: “It took several days to shoot this number, and what I remember most acutely is the quantity of paan that Mr. Bachchan consumed and the sheer energy he brought to set.”

“He was one of just two male leads at the time who was considerably taller than my 5 feet 8 inches, and so it’s a rare song in which the director had me dancing in ‘proper’ high heels.”

Zeenat reminisced about how the song, sung by Kishore Kumar, captured the hearts of the nation.

“Goodness! The song seemed to take the country by storm at that time. It was always on the airwaves and some media reports suggested that audience members were hitting the theatres again and again just to catch this one number.”

The song was later featured in Farhan Akhtar’s 2011 film “Don 2”, starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Shah Rukh Khan.

“It was later reenacted by SRK and Priyanka Chopra in Farhan Akhtar’s 2006 remake of the film. And ‘their’ number is just as catchy and upbeat as ‘ours’ was! I enjoyed a little nostalgia this Tuesday morning, and you can too. Khul jaaye band akal ka taala!”