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Who was Chandra Barot? Filmmaker who began as banker in Tanzania, directed cult classic Don and breathed his last at 86
1978's Don director, starring Amitabh Bachchan, breathed his last on July 20 after an 11-year-long battle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
The unfortunate news about 1978’s Don director, Chandra Barot, passing away left everyone in a state of shock. The filmmaker was battling Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis for the past 11 years and breathed his last on 20 July at a hospital in Mumbai.
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.
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