Before
making
his
directorial
debut
with Don,
the
filmmaker
served
as
an
assistant
director
to
actor-director
Manoj
Kumar
in Purab
Aur
Pachhim, Roti
Kapada
Aur
Makaan, Yaadgaar,
and Shor.
Veteran
filmmaker
Chandra
Barot
with
Amitabh
Bachchan
on
the
sets
of
Don.
Photograph:
Courtesy
@kunalkohli/X
Veteran
filmmaker
Chandra
Barot,
best
known
for
directing
the
1978
Amitabh
Bachchan-starrer
Don,
passed
away
on
Sunday
due
to
cardiac
arrest
at
a
hospital
in
Mumbai,
his
family
said. He
was
86.
Barot
was
battling
‘Idiopathic
Pulmonary
Fibrosis’
(IPF-fibrosis
of
lungs)
for
the
last
11
years
and
had
been
receiving
treatment
at
the
Guru
Nanak
Hospital,
as
per
his
family.
“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
Barot
told
PTI.
Before
making
his
directorial
debut
with
Don,
the
filmmaker
served
as
an
assistant
director
to
actor-director
Manoj
Kumar
in
Purab
Aur
Pachhim,
Roti
Kapada
Aur
Makaan,
Yaadgaar,
and
Shor.
After
Don,
Chandra
Barot
directed
a
Bengali
film
–
Aashrita
(1989).
Released
in
May
1978,
Don,
featuring
megastar
Amitabh
Bachchan
in
a
double
role
—
that
of
a
mafioso
and
a
simpleton
—
went
on
to
become
a
blockbuster
with
its
racy
music,
iconic
dialogues
and
pulsating
action.
One
of
the
most
celebrated
films
of
Chandra
Barot’s
career, Don
had
its
fair
share
of
ups
and
downs.
On
the
40th
anniversary
of
the
movie
in
2018,
Chandra
Barot
in
an
interview
with
PTI
shared
an
interesting
insight
that
he,
along
with
his
friends
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Zeenat
Aman
and
Pran
—
all
three
who
featured
in
Don—
decided
to
make
the
film
to
pull
one
of
their
producer
friends,
Nariman
Irani,
out
of
debt.
“Bawa’s
(Irani)
wife
was
a
hairdresser
and
knew
writer
Salim
Khan.
We
asked
her
to
put
in
a
word
for
us.
When
we
met
Salim,
he
didn’t
have
a
script
ready
but
told
us,
‘There
is
one
subject
which
no
one
understands’.
“We
said
‘we
don’t
care,
we
just
want
‘Salim-Javed’
written
on
the
posters’.
It
was
a
ready
script
and
we
took
it
immediately.
It
didn’t
even
have
a
title.
Everyone
in
the
industry
called
it
‘Don
waali
script’,”
Chandra
Barot
had
recalled.
Sadly,
Irani
passed
away
six
months
before
the
release
of
Don,
he
added.
The
filmmaker
also
revealed
that
many
big
stars
in
the
industry,
including
Dharmendra,
Jeetendra
and
Dev
Anand,
had
refused
the
movie,
which
was
one
of
the
highest-grossing
Indian
films
of
1978.
Chandra
Barot
is
survived
by
his
wife
and
a
son.
Don 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.
Film
industry
colleagues
took
to
social
media
to
mourn
Chandra
Barot’s
death,
remembering
him
as
a
wonderful
filmmaker
who
made
one
of
the
most
entertaining
Hindi
movies
— Don.
Farhan
Akhtar
paid
tribute
to
the
‘OG’ Don
filmmaker
on
Instagram.
“Saddened
to
learn
that
the
director
of
the
OG
Don
is
no
more.
RIP
Chandra
Barot-ji.
Deepest
condolences
to
the
family,”
said
the
actor-filmmaker.
Farhan
Akhtar’s
Excel
Entertainment
bought
the
rights
to
the
1978
film
and
directed
it
in
2006,
with
superstar
Shah
Rukh
Khan
playing
the
titular
role.
He
made
the
follow-up
movie
Don 2
in
2011.
The
third
part
of
the
franchise
will
see
actor
Ranveer
Singh
stepping
into
the
shoes
of
Khan.
Filmmaker
Kunal
Kohli
fondly
remembered
assisting
the
late
director
on
an
unreleased
movie,
Boss,
starring
Vinod
Khanna.
“Chandra
ji
RIP
sir.
The
only
director
I
assisted.
Not
in
Don.
For
a
film
with
Vinod
Khanna
called
Boss
that
never
saw
the
light
of
day.
But
what
an
enriching
experience
working
with
him.
Heard
so
many
BTS
stories
of
Don,”
Kohli
said
on
X.
“I
sided
bunk
college
and
assisted
Chandra
ji.
Remarkably
sharp
man.
Lovely
person.
Had
a
very
enlightening
and
fun
chat
with
him.
Thank
you,
sir,
for
giving
us
#Don
Indian
cinemas’
most
stylish
films
to
date,”
he
added.
Filmmaker
Sanjay
Gupta
thanked
Barot
for
making
Don,
which
he
described
as
one
of
the
most
entertaining
Hindi
movies
ever
made.
“Rest
In
Peace,
Chandra
Barot
Sir.
Many
thanks
for
DON.
One
of
the
most
entertaining
Hindi
films
ever,”
he
said.