Mumbai: Film director Chandra Barot, who is known for Blockbuster Classic, Don (1978), inspired several remakes in southern languages and gave birth to a series of sequels decades later, died of medical complications at Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra (East) on Sunday. He was 86 years old.“My husband was suffering from pulmonary fibrosis for the last seven years. His wife died at 6.30 am due to cardiac arrest.”Barot also directed the Bengali superhit starring Mithu Mukherjee, ‘Ashrita’ (1990).Barot’s family lived in Tanzania, but was forced to return to India in the East African country in the 1960s. His sister, Kamal Barot, was a playback singer in Bollywood. He assisted Bollywood Biggi Manoj Kumar in films like ‘Purba Aur Pachim’, ‘Shor’ and ‘Roti Kapada Aur Maken’.The creation of the original ‘Don’ is a famous Bollywood story. Barot’s cinematographer-producer Mitra, Nariman Irani, as a producer, was reeling under a debt of about Rs 12 lakh after his first film ‘Zindagi Zindagi’. Barot offered to help. He was working with Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman in ‘Roti Capada Aur Maken’. They all decide to work in ‘Don’ to help Irani. Sadly, Irani died in 1977, before the don could hit the screen. Amitabh Bachchan, who won the Best Actor Filmfare Award, dedicated the award to Irani and his wife.In the 1970s, ‘Don’ was an unusual title for Hindi films. The patron of Barot, Manoj Kumar, asked him with a qualified tone whether he was making some films called ‘Down’! Barot explained that it was a Spanish word ‘Don’ which actually meant ‘gentleman’. Kumar understood and suggested that the other half required one song from Paes. Salah caused the birth of chartbuster, ‘Khai Ke Paan Banaraswala’.Dawn, who celebrated Platinum Jubilee, was remake in Tamil as Billa (1980) as a hero along with Rajinikanth. A year ago, NT Ram Rao, the Telugu version of the film, was the main in Yugandhar. In Malayalam, the film was remake with Mohan Lal in the lead as Shoberaj (1986). Later director Farhan Akhtar continued Dawn: The Chase Begins Again (2006) and Don 2: The Chase.Many Bollywood personalities such as Farhan and Kunal Kohli mourned their death on social media. “It is sad to know that there is no one else of OG Dawn. Rip Chandra Barot-G. deep condolences to the family,” Farhan posted.On Sunday, during the rainy season, the funeral of Barot was performed at the Hindu crematorium in Kherwadi in Bandra (East). This was a less important case in which his family members and some relatives participated. As the last rites took place, no one could help, but a barot recalls the comment he had done years ago: “I would be remembered as the man who made a don”.
