Filmmaker Chandra Barot, best known for directing the 1978 cult classic 'Don' starring Amitabh Bachchan, passed away at the age of 86 on Sunday. His wife, Deepa Barot, confirmed the demise to TOI and said, "He had been battling pulmonary fibrosis for the past seven years," she said. Barot was undergoing treatment at Guru Nanak Hospital under Dr Manish Shetty. He had earlier also been admitted to Jaslok Hospital.
Barot was born to a family that later moved to Dar-es-Salaam, South Africa, due to political uncertainty in the 1930s. He worked at Barclay's Bank in Tanzania before pursuing a career in filmmaking.
Barot assisted Manoj Kumar in several films, including 'Purab Aur Pachhim', before making his directorial debut with Amitabh Bachchan starrer 'Don'. Chandra's decision to direct 'Don' remains etched in Bollywood history — a gesture made to support his close friend and cinematographer-producer Nariman Irani.