Who was Chandra Barot? Filmmaker who began as banker in Tanzania, directed cult classic Don and breathed his last at 86
We have all heard of and seen his cult classic Don, but do you know the story behind his journey from Tanzania to Bollywood and his rise to stardom? Keep scrolling further to know about it.
Entry in Bollywood
Chandra Barot was born in Tanzania, where he worked in a bank. Later, he had to migrate to India due to radical tensions in the 1960s. He began his Bollywood career as an Assistant director, working with Manoj Kumar on films such as Purab Aur Pachhim, Yaadgaar, Shor, and Roti Kapda Aur Makaan.
How Don came into the picture
Almost everyone knows that the late Chandra Barot directed Don. Reportedly, the film starring Amitabh Bachchan was conceived to assist producer Nariman Irani, who was in massive debt after a flop. The script of Don, written by Salim-Javed, was brought to Barot, but it was rejected by other leading actors. Later, the megastar came on board.
Don went on to become such a massive hit that the profits made by the film were used to settle Irani's debts. Big B's film was shot on a modest budget of approximately 0.84 crore. A lesser-known fact about the movie is that the song Khaike Paan Banaraswala was added at Manoj Kumar's advice. No one had imagined, even in their wildest dreams, that this would go on to become so popular among fans.
Don was loved so much and became such a big hit that it sparked remakes in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and an entire franchise in Bollywood. In fact, we are all eagerly awaiting the release of Don 3, starring Ranveer Singh in the lead.
His fight with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Chandra Barot was fighting Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis for around 11 years. On 20 July, he was admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital in Mumbai, where he passed away at the age of 86 after suffering a cardiac arrest following a chest infection.
Although Chandra Barot is no longer with us, his legacy will remain with all cinema lovers forever.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
6 hours ago
- India Today
Isha Koppikar recalls being slapped 14 times by Nagarjuna for a scene in Chandralekha
Bollywood actor Isha Koppikar was slapped by co-star Nagarjuna 14 times during the shooting of her Telugu debut 'Chandralekha'. She shared the behind-the-scenes experience in a recent interview, while detailing her commitment to method an interview with Hindi Rush, Koppikar recalled, "I got slapped by Nagarjuna. I was a fully committed actor who wanted to perform in a real, methodical way. So when he was slapping me, I couldn't feel it. This was my second film, so I told him, 'Nag, you slap me.' He said, 'Are you sure? No, I can't.' I said, 'I want that feeling. I am not feeling it right now.' So he slapped me, but softly."advertisementThe director, however, struggled to capture the desired expression on camera, leading to multiple retakes. The 48-year-old recounted, "In an attempt to look angry, I got slapped 14 times. At the end, I had slap marks on my face. Bechara mujhe leke baitha, bola sorry (Poor guy, he apologised to me). I said, 'I asked for it, why are you saying sorry?'" Directed by Krishna Vamsi, 'Chandralekha' was a remake of a Malayalam movie directed by Priyadarshan. Alongside Isha and Nagarjuna, the film featured a cast including Ramya Krishnan and Murali Mohan in key Bollywood, Koppikar is known for her roles in films such as 'Don', 'LOC Kargil', and 'Salaam-e-Ishq'.She was last seen in the 2024 sci-fi film 'Ayalaan'. In the movie, she starred alongside Sivakarthikeyan and Rakul Preet Singh. The film was well-received by critics and audiences alike. It earned positive reviews and box office success. At the box office, 'Ayalaan' grossed Rs 76.5 crore worldwide.- Ends
NDTV
8 hours ago
- NDTV
Isha Koppikar Recalls When Nagarjuna Slapped Her 14 Times: "Had Slap Marks On Face"
Isha Koppikar recently opened up about a tough scene she shot early in her career that involved being slapped – not once, but 14 times. Yes, you read that right. Who slapped her, you ask? None other than Nagarjuna. It all happened during the shooting of Isha's second film, Chandralekha. The film, directed by Krishna Vamsi, was her debut as a lead in Telugu cinema. Isha Koppikar, new to acting, was keen to give her best. 'I got slapped by Nagarjuna. I was a fully committed actor that I want to perform in a real, method way,' she told Hindi Rush. The actress shared that during a scene where she had to express anger, she wasn't quite getting the emotion right. That's when she made an unusual request: 'So when he (Nagarjuna) was slapping me, I couldn't feel it. This was my second film, so I told him, 'Nag, you really slap me.' He said, 'Are you sure? No, I can't.' I said, 'I want that feeling. I am not feeling it right now.' So he slapped me, but softly.' Even after this, the director did not quite get the expression he wanted, and the scene had to be shot again and again. 'In an attempt to look angry, I got slapped 14 times. At the end, I literally had slap marks on my face,' Isha Koppikar said, adding that Nagarjuna felt bad afterwards. ' Bechara mujhe leke baitha, bola sorry. I said, 'I asked for it, why are you saying sorry?'' Chandralekha was a remake of a Malayalam film of the same name, originally made by Priyadarshan. The film also featured Ramya Krishnan, Murali Mohan, Chandra Mohan, Giri Babu and Tanikella Bharani in important roles. Coming back to Isha Koppikar, she is known for her performances in movies like Don, LOC Kargil and Salaam-e-Ishq. The actress was last seen in the 2024 sci-fi movie Ayalaan, co-starring Sivakarthikeyan and Rakul Preet Singh. Sharad Kelkar, Yogi Babu, Karunakaran, Bhanupriya and David Broughton-Davies were also part of the project.
Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Isha Koppikar recalls Nagarjuna slapping her 14 times for a scene in Chandralekha: ‘At the end I had marks on my face'
Bollywood actor Isha Koppikar began her acting career with Telugu films before moving to Bollywood, where she starred in movies like Don, LOC Kargil, and Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love, among others. In a recent interview with Hindi Rush, Isha opened up about a behind-the-scenes moment from her second film Chandralekha, revealing she was slapped by Nagarjuna 14 times for a scene. Isha Koppikar recalls working with Nagarjuna during Chandralekha. When Nagarjuna slapped Isha Koppikar 14 times for a scene Isha recalled that during the shoot of Chandralekha, she asked Nagarjuna to slap her for real in order to truly feel the emotion of anger. She said, "I got slapped by Nagarjuna. I was a fully committed actor that I want to perform in a real, method way. So when he was slapping me, I couldn't feel it. This was my second film, so I told him, 'Nag, you really slap me.' He said, 'Are you sure? No, I can't.' I said, 'I want that feeling. I am not feeling it right now.' So he slapped me, but softly.' The actor went on to share how the director still couldn't capture the anger in her expression, which led to multiple retakes: 'In an attempt to look angry, I got slapped 14 times. At the end, I literally had slap marks on my face. Bechara mujhe leke baitha, bola sorry (Poor guy, he apologised to me). I said, 'I asked for it, why are you saying sorry?'' About Chandralekha The film marked Isha's debut as a lead actor in Telugu cinema. Directed by Krishna Vamsi, the comedy-drama also featured Nagarjuna, Ramya Krishnan, Murali Mohan, Chandra Mohan, Giri Babu, and Tanikella Bharani in key roles. It was a remake of the Malayalam film of the same name, originally directed by Priyadarshan. Isha Koppikar's recent work Isha was last seen in the 2024 sci-fi film Ayalaan, alongside Sivakarthikeyan and Rakul Preet Singh. The film also starred Sharad Kelkar, Karunakaran, Yogi Babu, David Broughton-Davies, Bhanupriya, and Bala Saravanan. It received positive reviews from both critics and audiences, grossing ₹76.5 crore worldwide. Isha is yet to announce her next project.
