Chandra Barot, director of Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Don’, passes away at 86

Filmmaker Chandra Barot, best known for directing the 1978 cult classic “Don” starring Amitabh Bachchan, passed away at a hospital in Bandra in Mumbai on Sunday. He was 86.

His wife, Deepa Barot, revealed that the filmmaker had been battling ‘Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis’ (IPF-fibrosis of lungs) for the past 11 years.

“Chandra passed away at the Guru Nanak Hospital this morning at 6.30 due to cardiac arrest caused by a chest infection. He had IPF, which is fibrosis of the lungs, for the past 11 years,” his wife, Deepa said.

Born and raised in Tanzania, Barot initially worked at a bank before moving to India. He began his career in the film industry as an assistant director, serving actor-filmmaker Manoj Kumar in “Purab Aur Pachhim”, “Roti Kapada Aur Makaan”, “Yaadgaar”, and “Shor”.

After “Don”, Chandra Barot directed a Bengali film “Aashrita” (1989).

The filmmaker is survived by his wife and a son.

“Don”, which gained a cult status, was turned into a franchise by filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, son of Javed Akhtar, who had written the original script of the movie along with Salim Khan.

Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment bought the rights to the 1978 film and directed it in 2006, with Shah Rukh Khan playing the titular role.

He made the follow-up movie “Don 2” in 2011. The third part will see Ranveer Singh stepping into the shoes of Khan. – With inputs from PTI