September 2003. Berlin, Germany.
The wind in Berlin cut through fabric like a knife, but Aarav Pathak didn't feel it. He was encased in a metallic silver Lamborghini Murciélago, the engine idling with a low, predatory growl that vibrated through the bucket seat and up his spine.
They had shut down the Brandenburg Gate.
This wasn't a green screen. This was 5 AM on a Sunday, and the German government had given them a four-hour window to destroy their streets.
"Action!" Farhan Akhtar's voice crackled over the radio.
Aarav slammed the pedal.
The car surged forward, 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. The G-force pressed him back. Ahead of him, a stunt car—a black Hummer—swerved to block his path.
In the passenger seat, a stunt coordinator was screaming instructions, but Aarav's mind was linked to the System.
[Skill Activated: Precision Driving][Level: 75/100][Adrenaline Regulation: Optimal]
He drifted. The tires screamed, leaving black scars on the pristine German asphalt. He spun the wheel, sliding the Lamborghini mere inches from the Hummer's bumper, the side-view mirror clipping a traffic cone.
"Cut!"
Aarav brought the car to a halt. The smell of burnt rubber was intoxicating.
He stepped out. A crowd of German onlookers, held back by barriers, cheered. They didn't know who he was, but they knew they were watching a movie star.
Farhan ran over, his hair wild. "You lunatic! You were supposed to brake ten meters earlier!"
Aarav took off his sunglasses. "Don doesn't brake, Farhan. He swerves."
This was the tone of the production. Dangerous. Expensive. Uncompromising.
They spent three weeks in Berlin. They blew up cars. They had Aarav jump from a bridge onto a moving ferry on the Spree river (on a wire, but the height was real).
The budget was bleeding. They were burning ₹50 Lakhs a day.
Ritesh Sidhwani, the producer, looked like a ghost. "Aarav, we are 20% over budget for the German schedule. We haven't even touched Malaysia yet."
"Sell the rights to the German sequence separately," Aarav said, wiping grease off his face. "Make a 'Making Of' documentary. Sell it to Star World. Monitize the chaos, Ritesh."
November 2003. Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad.
From the cold steel of Berlin to the dusty heat of Hyderabad.
This was the most guarded set in Indian history. Private security formed a triple ring around Floor 4. Mobile phones were confiscated at the gate.
Inside, the set was a high-tech underground vault.
Two chairs. A table. A chessboard.
Sitting in one chair was Aarav Pathak, dressed in his sleek grey suit, looking like a corporate shark.
Sitting in the other chair was Rajinikanth.
He was dressed in the iconic black leather vest and sunglasses of Billa (his 1980 remake of Don).
The atmosphere was electric. The crew was silent. Even the light boys were standing on their toes to get a look.
This was the Multiverse of Dons.
"Sir," Aarav whispered before the take. "Thank you for this."
Rajinikanth adjusted his glasses with his signature flip—a move faster than the eye could follow. "The script is good, Aarav. You are making the Devil look stylish. I like it."
"Action!"
The scene was brief but monumental. Billa (Rajinikanth), the King of the South Underworld, handing over a data chip to Don (Aarav), the rising King of the Global Syndicate.
"This holds the codes for the Asian satellites," Rajinikanth said, his voice carrying that distinct, rapid-fire cadence. "Don't lose it."
Aarav took the chip. He leaned forward.
"I don't lose, Billa. I only collect."
Rajinikanth laughed—the trademark Billa laugh, echoing through the vault.
"Good. The world is getting small. It needs a new owner."
"Cut!"
The crew erupted. People were hugging. It was magic.
That evening, the news leaked (strategically).
"BILLA MEETS DON: The North-South Divide Ends Today."
Within 24 hours, the distribution rights for the Tamil and Telugu dubbed versions of Don were sold for ₹25 Crores.
Aarav sat in his hotel room in Hyderabad, looking at the System panel.
[Quest Update: The Don Legacy][Step 2 Complete: Unify the Markets.][Result: Pan-India Hype Level: Critical.]
He had recovered 20% of the budget just on a cameo.
January 2004. The Petronas Towers, Malaysia.
The climax of Don: Part 1.
The Skybridge. 170 meters above the ground.
Aarav stood on the edge. The wind was howling. He was harnessed, but the drop was real. If the wire snapped, he was dead.
Priyanka Chopra (playing Roma) was crouching behind a pillar, gun drawn.
"Are you ready?" the stunt coordinator asked in broken English.
Aarav looked down at the city of Kuala Lumpur. It looked like a circuit board.
He felt a moment of vertigo. His stomach turned.
Why am I doing this? I have ₹100 Crores. I have Preity. I have a home.
Then he remembered the feeling of sitting in the theatre in 2025, watching Marvel movies, wishing India could do that. Wishing an Indian face could command that kind of awe.
"I'm doing this for the legacy," he whispered.
"Rolling!"
Aarav sprinted. He jumped off the edge of the bridge.
He free-fell for three seconds before the wire caught him. He swung through the air, smashing through a glass window (sugar glass) into the building on the 42nd floor.
He landed, rolled, and came up with his gun pointed at the camera.
He didn't flinch. He didn't check for cuts. He just stared down the lens.
"Check the gate!" Farhan yelled, his voice cracking with relief. "We got it! That's a wrap on Principal Photography for Part 1!"
Aarav unclipped the harness. He collapsed onto the floor, his chest heaving. His arm was bleeding where a shard of glass had nicked him.
Priyanka ran over. "Are you okay? You're bleeding!"
"It matches the suit," Aarav grinned weakly.
March 2004. The Marketing Machine.
The film was in post-production. The budget had touched ₹60 Crores for just Part 1. The industry was taking bets on when Aarav Pathak would file for bankruptcy.
But Aarav had one more card to play.
He flew to Paris.
He rented the first floor of the Eiffel Tower for a press event.
On May 1, 2004, the teaser trailer was launched.
But not just on TV. Aarav had partnered with Yahoo! and MSN (the giants of the time) for a global digital launch.
At 8:00 PM IST, the teaser went live.
It opened with the sound of a ticking clock. Then, the Berlin chase. The Lamborghini drifting. Then, Rajinikanth's laugh. Then, Aarav's jump off the Petronas Towers.
Voiceover (Aarav): "The police of eleven countries are waiting for me..."
The screen faded to black.
"...But they are waiting in the wrong timeline."
DON: THE CHASE BEGINSDiwali 2004
The internet didn't break (it wasn't strong enough yet), but the servers crashed. The download counters stuck at 999,999+.
In India, news channels played the teaser on a loop. "Is this Hollywood? No, it's Aarav Pathak!"
The visual fidelity, the color grading, the scale—it was ten years ahead of Dhoom (which released later in 2004). Aarav had leapfrogged the entire "Bike Chase" era and gone straight to "International Espionage."
June 2004. The Personal Cost.
Villa Vienna was quiet. Too quiet.
Aarav walked in, carrying a bouquet of lilies. It was Preity's birthday. Or rather, it was her birthday yesterday.
He had been in London, supervising the sound mix at Dolby Studios. He had forgotten.
He walked up to the bedroom. Preity was packing a suitcase.
Aarav froze. "Preity?"
She looked at him. Her eyes were puffy.
"I'm going to shoot for Veer-Zaara," she said quietly. "Yash uncle needs me in Punjab."
"I... I missed the date," Aarav said, putting the flowers down on the dresser. "The mix was complicated. The Dolby 5.1..."
"It's always complicated, Aarav," she said, zipping up the bag. "First it was Berlin. Then the stocks. Now the mix. You are physically here, but your head is always in some strategy meeting."
She walked up to him. She touched his face.
"You wanted to be the King," she whispered. "You are. But Kings are lonely, Aarav. Don't you remember Devdas?"
"This isn't Devdas," he argued. "I'm building this for us. For the future."
"You're building it for your ego," she said gently. "And that's okay. You're an artist. But I can't be the waiting queen anymore."
She picked up her bag.
"I need space, Aarav. I need to figure out if I love you or the idea of you."
She walked out.
Aarav stood there. He heard the red Mercedes start up in the driveway. He heard it drive away.
He looked at the flowers.
The System pinged.
[Relationship Status: Complicated / On Break][Emotional State: Solitary][Focus Redirect: The Empire]
Aarav grabbed the flowers and threw them into the dustbin. He walked to the window and looked at the sea. The waves were crashing against the rocks, relentless, uncaring.
"Fine," he said, his voice hardening. "If I'm going to be lonely, I might as well be the richest, most powerful lonely man on Earth."
He picked up his phone.
"Ritesh," he said. "Book the flights for Tokyo. We start pre-production on Part 2 immediately. I don't want a break between releases."
"But Sir, Part 1 hasn't even released yet!"
"I said book it."
The machine couldn't stop. If it stopped, he would have to think about the silence in his house.
August 2004. The Final Cut.
Aarav sat in the editing room with Farhan. They were watching the final cut of Don: Part 1.
It was slick. It was fast. It was brutal.
The twist at the end—where it is revealed that the "Simpleton Vijay" never existed and it was Don all along playing a game—was executed perfectly.
"It works," Farhan breathed. "It really works."
Aarav looked at the screen. He saw himself. The cold eyes. The smirk.
He realized he wasn't acting anymore. He had become the man who moved pieces on a board, sacrificing pawns (his personal life) to win the game (the legacy).
"Lock it," Aarav said. "And prepare the prints. 3,000 screens. We are going wider than Titanic."
The stage was set. Diwali 2004 was approaching.
The industry was holding its breath. The "Boy from Delhi" had bet everything on a Villain.
[End of Chapter 15]