Veteran filmmaker Chandra Barot, who helmed the 1978 action film Don, passed away at a Bandra hospital on Sunday, his wife Deepa Barot has said.
Barot has reportedly died of age-related ailments. His wife said that he had been undergoing treatment for pulmonary fibrosis for the past seven years. He was 86.
Barot was born in Tanzania but his family moved to India in 1967 following racial unrest in East Africa.
Barot began his career in filmmaking as an assistant director. He worked on films like Purab Aur Pachhim (1970), Yaadgaar (1970), Shor (1972), and Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974). Barot’s first directorial was the 1978 film Don starring Amitabh Bachchan in a double role.
Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, who directed a remake of the film in 2006, paid tribute to Barot in an Instagram post. “Saddened to learn that the director of the OG Don is no more. RIP Chandra Barot-ji. Deepest condolences to the family,” Akhtar wrote, sharing a photo of Barot.
After Don, Barot directed the 1989 Bengali film Aashrita. He also directed the 1991 romantic drama Pyar Bhara Dil. Barot also worked on a film Hong Kong Wali Script which got shelved. His last film, Neil Ko Pakadna....Impossible, was released in 2015 as Hum Baja Bajaa Denge.
