
‘Don' director Chandra Barot dies at 86; film fraternity mourns his demise
Mumbai, Jul 20 (PTI) 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. PTI KKP GK
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Mint
24 minutes ago
- Mint
Have been preparing to get out soon: Jamie Lee Curtis on leaving Hollywood
London, Jul 28 (PTI) Oscar-winning actor Jamie Lee Curtis says she is planning to "get out of Hollywood" soon after noticing how her star parents, Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, have been rejected by the industry as they aged. Curtis, who will next star in "Freakier Friday", a sequel to the 2003 hit film "Freaky Friday", said she witnessed how the success and fame that her parents achieved was slowly eroding and called it a painful phase. "I witnessed my parents lose the very thing that gave them their fame and their life and their livelihood, when the industry rejected them at a certain age," the 66-year-old actor told The Guardian in an interview. "I watched them reach incredible success and then have it slowly erode to where it was gone. And that's very painful... I have been prepping to get out, so that I don't have to suffer the same as my family did. I want to leave the party before I'm no longer invited," she added. Her upcoming film "Freakier Friday" is slated to release on August 8. Also featuring Lindsay Lohan, who is reprising her role from the first installment, the film is directed by Nisha Ganatra. The Disney film also stars Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Rosalind Chao, Chad Michael Murray, and Mark Harmon, and will pick up the story years later from where it ended. Directed by Mark Waters, "Freaky Friday" revolved around the mother-daughter duo (Curtis and Lohan), whose souls get switched after a visit to the mysterious Chinese restaurant. The next morning, both of them find themselves in each other bodies and a chaos follows. It was based on the 1972 novel from Mary Rodgers.


News18
an hour ago
- News18
Have been preparing to get out soon: Jamie Lee Curtis on leaving Hollywood
London, Jul 28 (PTI) Oscar-winning actor Jamie Lee Curtis says she is planning to 'get out of Hollywood" soon after noticing how her star parents, Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, have been rejected by the industry as they aged. Curtis, who will next star in 'Freakier Friday", a sequel to the 2003 hit film 'Freaky Friday", said she witnessed how the success and fame that her parents achieved was slowly eroding and called it a painful phase. 'I witnessed my parents lose the very thing that gave them their fame and their life and their livelihood, when the industry rejected them at a certain age," the 66-year-old actor told The Guardian in an interview. 'I watched them reach incredible success and then have it slowly erode to where it was gone. And that's very painful… I have been prepping to get out, so that I don't have to suffer the same as my family did. I want to leave the party before I'm no longer invited," she added. Her upcoming film 'Freakier Friday" is slated to release on August 8. Also featuring Lindsay Lohan, who is reprising her role from the first installment, the film is directed by Nisha Ganatra. The Disney film also stars Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Rosalind Chao, Chad Michael Murray, and Mark Harmon, and will pick up the story years later from where it ended. Directed by Mark Waters, 'Freaky Friday" revolved around the mother-daughter duo (Curtis and Lohan), whose souls get switched after a visit to the mysterious Chinese restaurant. The next morning, both of them find themselves in each other bodies and a chaos follows. It was based on the 1972 novel from Mary Rodgers. PTI ATR ATR ATR view comments First Published: July 28, 2025, 12:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


News18
an hour ago
- News18
Amitabh Bachchan shares old Sholay ticket: Kept and preserved
Agency: PTI Last Updated: New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan walked down memory lane and shared a picture of the old ticket from his blockbuster film 'Sholay", which cost only Rs 20 back in time. Amitabh posted a series of pictures of himself on his personal blog on Monday morning, one of which featured the ticket. The actor noted how he is told the price of aerated drink in present is of the same cost as the tickets used to be. 'The 'SHOLAY' ticket .. kept and preserved… Rs 20 !! the price .. !!!!!?? I am told that is the price of an aerated drink in Theatre Halls nowadays .. is that a fact ?? So much to say , but say not ..affection and love," he wrote in the caption. Released in 1975, 'Sholay", which will mark 50 years on August 15, also starred Dharmendra and went on to become the highest-grossing film in India that year. Directed by Ramesh Sippy, the film revolved around Jai and Veeru (portrayed by Amitabh and Dharmendra), two ex-convicts, who get hired by a retired policeman to help him catch a notorious dacoit that has been creating a havoc in the village of Ramgarh. Actors Amjad Khan, Sanjeev Kumar and Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan rounded off the cast of the film. PTI ATR ATR view comments First Published: July 28, 2025, 11:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.