Zeenat Reflects on the Amount of Paan Consumed by Big B for ‘Khaike Paan Banaras Wala’
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Mumbai, Dec 10 (NationPress) Renowned Bollywood star Zeenat Aman reminisced about the legendary song ‘Khaike Paan Banaras Wala’, which she revealed was originally composed for Dev Anand's film “Banarasi Babu”. The actress noted that her most vivid recollection is of the significant amount of paan that megastar Amitabh Bachchan consumed while filming the song.
Zeenat took to Instagram to share a clip from the song, which first appeared in the 1978 movie “Don”, featuring Big B in dual roles alongside Zeenat, Pran, Iftekhar, Om Shivpuri, and Satyen Kappu in supporting roles.
She stated: “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” due to being considered too “frivolous”.
“It is said that ‘Khaike Paan Banaraswala’ was not originally intended for Don. It was created for Dev Anand’s Banarasi Babu, but was dismissed as too frivolous,” she shared.
She continued by explaining that “Don” director Chandra Barot had completed his action thriller with Amitabh Bachchan in a dual role but realized that the second half of the movie required some relief from the intense storyline.
“Thus, long after filming had wrapped, the cast and crew gathered at Mehboob Studio to shoot a new video,” she added.
“With lively, innuendo-filled lyrics, an infectious beat, Kishore Kumar providing vocals, and a dynamic performance by Mr. Bachchan, ‘Khaike Paan Banaraswala’ turned out to be an unexpected hit.”
She recollected: “It took many days to film this number, and what stands out in my memory is the amount of paan that Mr. Bachchan consumed and the tremendous energy he brought to the set.”
“He was one of the only two male leads at that time who was significantly taller than my 5 feet 8 inches, making it a rare occasion where the director had me dancing in “proper” high heels.
Zeenat recalled how the song, sung by Kishore Kumar, captivated the nation. “Goodness! The song seemed to sweep the country off its feet at that time. It was constantly on the airwaves, and some reports indicated that audiences were returning to theaters repeatedly just to witness this one number.”
The song later appeared in Farhan Akhtar’s 2011 film “Don 2”, featuring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Shah Rukh Khan.
“It was subsequently reenacted by SRK and Priyanka Chopra in Farhan Akhtar’s 2006 remake of the film, and “their” rendition is just as catchy and lively as “ours” was! I enjoyed a bit of nostalgia this Tuesday morning, and you can as well. Khul jaaye band akal ka taala!
