Chandra Barot, man behind Amitabh Bachchan’s cult classic Don, dies at 86; Farhan Akhtar remembers him

As soon as the news of the death of Don director Chandra Barot emerged, actor and director Farhan Akhtar took to social media to mourn the loss.

Filmmaker Chandra Barot, renowned for helming the iconic 1978 film Don starring Amitabh Bachchan, died on Sunday at the age of 86. Director Farhan Akhtar, who revived the franchise with Shah Rukh Khan, and is now doing it again with Ranveer Singh, paid a heartfelt tribute, honouring his legacy.

Released on May 12, 1978, Chandra Barot's Don featured Amitabh in a double role.

Chandra Barot dies at 86

Chandra Barot breathed his last at a hospital in Bandra on Sunday. His wife, Deepa Barot, confirmed the news of his death to The Times of India, saying, “He had been battling pulmonary fibrosis for the past seven years.” She added that he was undergoing treatment at Guru Nanak Hospital under the care of Dr Manish Shetty and had also been admitted to Jaslok Hospital earlier.

As soon as the news of his death surfaced on social media, actor and director Farhan Akhtar was one of the first from Bollywood to come forward and condole his death. Farhan, who is busy with the third instalment of Don, paid tribute to Chandra on Instagram, calling him the “OG”.

Sharing his picture with Amitabh while working on Don, Farhan wrote, “Saddened to learn that the director of the OG Don is no more. RIP Chandra Barot-ji. Deepest condolences to the family."

Before becoming a big hit, Don, a script by Salim-Javed, was rejected by many big stars. Later, Chandra, along with Amitabh and Zeenat Aman decided to take on the project to pull one of their friends out of debt. Chandra was the long-time assistant director of Manoj Kumar and became friends with Amitabh and Zeenat during the shooting of Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. He also developed a close bond with the cinematographer of the film, Nariman Irani, whom they fondly called Bawa.

Released on May 12, 1978, Don featured Amitabh in a double role, that of a mafia and a simple villager. The film went on to become a blockbuster with its peppy music, iconic dialogues and intense action.

Farhan takes forward Don legacy

Farhan remade Chandra Barot’s famous Amitabh Bachchan-starrer in 2006 and cast Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Arjun Rampal and Isha Koppikar in his adaptation. He revisited the world with Don 2: The King Is Back in 2011. The film featured Shah Rukh Khan along with Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Lara Dutta, Om Puri, Nawwab Shah, Ally Khan, Sahil Shroff and Kunal Kapoor.

Farhan will soon be back with the third part. He will be introducing Ranveer Singh as the anti-hero.