Chapter 16: The Twenty-One Day War
October 2004. The War Room, Villa Vienna.
The map of the world was spread across the digital wall. Red dots marked capitals: Paris, Berlin, London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Dubai, New York...
Ritesh Sidhwani looked like he was about to vomit. "Aarav, this is logistical suicide. You want to release the film on different days? Piracy will kill us! If it releases in Paris on Monday, the print will be on the streets of Mumbai by Tuesday!"
Aarav stood with his back to the room. He had grown his hair out for Part 2, tying it back in a messy, aggressive bun. He wore a black turtleneck that accentuated the sharpness of his jaw.
"Piracy is for content people want to steal," Aarav said, turning around. "But this... this is an event. You don't pirate a concert, Ritesh. You attend it."
He pointed to the map.
"The Rolling Thunder Strategy. 21 Days. 21 Countries. 21 Premieres."
"I fly to France on Monday. Release. Press. Sleep on the plane.
Tuesday, Germany. Release. Press. Sleep on the plane.
Wednesday, London. Then Dubai. Then Tokyo."
"And India?" Farhan asked.
"India gets it last," Aarav smiled. "On Diwali. By the time it hits Mumbai, the world will have already told them it's the greatest film ever made. The FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) will drive the opening to ₹20 Crores on Day 1."
"You'll die of exhaustion," Farhan warned. "That's three weeks without a bed."
Aarav picked up his sunglasses.
"Don doesn't sleep. He waits."
Day 1: Monday, October 14, 2004. Paris, France.
Le Grand Rex Cinema.
The queue wrapped around the block twice. French teenagers, usually obsessed with Hollywood, were holding posters of Don. Why? Because the teaser had gone viral on French forums as "The Indian Matrix."
Aarav stepped out of the limousine. He didn't wave like a Bollywood star. He walked with hands in his pockets, shoulders loose, eyes hidden behind dark tints.
He walked straight to the red carpet reporter from Canal+.
"Monsieur Pathak," the reporter asked in French. "Is this a musical?"
Aarav leaned into the mic.
[System: Language Database - French (Fluent)]
"C'est une chasse, mademoiselle," (It is a chase, Miss.) Aarav replied in perfect, silky French. "And the music is the sound of my engine."
The crowd roared.
That night, the theatre was packed. When the credits rolled, the French—notorious for booing—cheered.
Day 1 Collection (France): $3 Million.
Day 2: Tuesday, October 15, 2004. Berlin, Germany.
Sony Center, Potsdamer Platz.
Germany was the home ground. They had shot the car chase here.
Aarav arrived wearing a leather trench coat. The German fans were chanting "Don! Don! Don!"
He went on Wetten, dass..? (The biggest German TV show).
The host asked, "You destroyed our streets with your Lamborghini."
Aarav smirked, crossing his legs. "I improved your streets. Now they have character."
The audience laughed. He wasn't humble. He was arrogant. And they loved it.
Day 2 Collection (Germany): $4.5 Million.
Day 5: Friday, October 18, 2004. Tokyo, Japan.
This was the big one. The Asian market.
Aarav landed at Narita Airport. 5,000 fans were waiting. Japanese girls were holding fans with his face on them.
He went straight to a press conference in Roppongi Hills.
He sat on the stage, the long hair falling over his face. He didn't smile.
"Why should Japan watch an Indian movie?" a journalist asked skeptically.
Aarav looked at him.
"Because for fifty years, you have watched heroes who save the world. It's boring," Aarav said. "Come watch a man who wants to own it."
He screened the film.
The Japanese loved the tech. They loved the gadgets. They loved that the 'Asian Conquest' plotline respected their intelligence.
Day 5 Collection (Japan): $8 Million.
Day 15: The Fatigue.
New York City, USA.
Aarav was in a green room at The Late Show.
His hands were shaking. He hadn't slept in a bed for two weeks. He was running on espresso, adrenaline, and System-regulated stamina boosts.
[Stamina Level: Critical]
[Health Warning: Immune System compromised.]
He stared at the mirror. His eyes were red.
"Makeup!" he barked. "Hide the red. Make me look immortal."
He walked out onto the stage. The American audience cheered politely.
By the end of the interview, after he charmed them with stories of jumping off the Petronas Towers without insurance, they were cheering wildly.
Day 21: Diwali 2004. Mumbai, India.
The homecoming.
The hype was nuclear. The world had validated Aarav Pathak. The Western press was calling him "The Tom Cruise of the East."
The premiere at IMAX Wadala (the biggest screen in India).
Aarav landed in a helicopter.
The industry was there. Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan.
They watched the film.
They saw the scale. They saw the seamless integration of Rajinikanth. They saw the twist.
When the lights came on, there was a stunned silence.
This wasn't a "Bollywood movie". This was a global product.
Shah Rukh Khan walked up to Aarav. He looked tired. Veer-Zaara (his release) was good, but it was a romance. Don was a revolution.
"You changed the game, Pathak," SRK said quietly. "You didn't just raise the bar. You broke the ceiling."
"The sky is the limit, Shah Rukh," Aarav said, shaking his hand. "And I bought the sky."
The Box Office Verdict.
The numbers started pouring in over the next month.
India: ₹150 Crores (All Time Record).
China: $40 Million (First Indian film to crack the quota properly).
Japan/South Korea: $30 Million.
Middle East: $20 Million.
Europe/US: $50 Million.
Total Worldwide Gross for Don: Part 1:$210 Million (approx ₹950 Crores).
It was insanity.
It was impossible.
But it happened.
The "Don" brand was now worth more than most production houses.
The Interview.
One week later. BBC World. Hardtalk.
The interviewer, known for shredding politicians, sat opposite Aarav.
Aarav was in full Don mode. Long hair tied back. A dark purple suit. A single silver ring on his finger.
Interviewer: "Mr. Pathak, you have made a film that glorifies crime. A man who kills, steals, and betrays. And the world is cheering for him. Does that worry you?"
Aarav leaned back, looking bored.
Aarav: "Crime? I didn't make a film about crime. I made a film about ambition."
Interviewer: "Ambition involves murder?"
Aarav: "In the corporate world, they call it a 'hostile takeover'. In geopolitics, they call it 'regime change'. I just gave it a gun and a good soundtrack. Why is the world cheering? Because deep down, everyone is tired of following rules made by people who don't follow them."
Interviewer: "You sound like your character."
Aarav: (Smirking) "The character sounds like me."
Interviewer: "With $200 Million in the bank, what is next? Retirement?"
Aarav laughed. It was a cold, low sound.
Aarav: "Retirement is for people who are satisfied. I have just conquered Asia. Europe is left."
Interviewer: "So, Part 2?"
Aarav: "I fly to Tokyo tonight. The chase doesn't end."
The Departure.
He didn't go home to Villa Vienna. He didn't go to celebrate with his friends.
He went straight from the BBC studio to the private hangar at Mumbai Airport.
He had bought a Gulfstream G550.
As he walked up the stairs of the jet, he paused. He looked at his phone.
One missed call. Preity.
He hovered his thumb over the 'Call Back' button.
The System pinged.
[Quest: Don 2 - The Asian Conquest]
[Status: Active]
[Schedule: Tight]
[Distraction Level: High]
He sighed. He put the phone in his pocket.
"Later," he whispered.
He entered the jet. The door closed.
The engines roared to life.
Aarav Pathak, the man who had just delivered the biggest hit in the history of Indian cinema, poured himself a drink and opened the script for Don 2.
He was the Emperor of the World. And he was the loneliest man in the sky.
[End of Chapter 16]