Veteran filmmaker Chandra Barot, renowned for helming the 1978 cult classic Don starring Amitabh Bachchan, passed away on Sunday at the age of 86.
The news of his demise was confirmed by his wife, Deepa Barot. In a conversation with TOI, she shared, "He had been battling pulmonary fibrosis for the past seven years."
She further mentioned that he was receiving treatment at Guru Nanak Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Manish Shetty and had previously been admitted to Jaslok Hospital.
Farhan Akhtar Pays Tribute
Farhan Akhtar, who is currently directing the third installment of Don, paid tribute to Barot on Instagram. He wrote, "Saddened to learn that the director of the OG Don is no more. RIP Chandra Barot-ji. Deepest condolences to the family."
Take a look at Farhan Akhtar's post here:
About Chandra Barot
Chandra Barot made his directorial debut with Don, a film that took shape after actor-producer Nariman Irani ran into financial difficulties following the failure of Zindagi Zindagi (1972).
In an effort to support Irani, Barot and his team took on the project, enlisting writers Salim-Javed, whose script had earlier been rejected by major stars such as Dev Anand, Dharmendra, and Jeetendra.
After Don, Barot went on to direct the Bengali films Aashrita (1989) and Pyar Bhara Dil (1991). However, several of his other ventures—including Boss and Neil Ko Pakadna... Impossible—remained unfinished or were never released.
His influence endured through the Don franchise, which was revived years later. In 2006, Shah Rukh Khan starred in a reimagined version of Don, which paid tribute to Barot’s original.
That version spawned a sequel, and now a third installment is in development. Directed by Farhan Akhtar, the upcoming film will feature Ranveer Singh and Kriti Sanon in lead roles.