Amitabh Bachchan Mourns the Death of Don Director Chandra Barot: "More a Family Friend Than Anything Else"

Veteran filmmaker Chandra Barot, best known for directing the cult classic Don (1978), passed away at the age of 86 in Mumbai on Sunday. Deepa Barot, his wife confirmed the news and also shared that he had been battling pulmonary fibrosis for seven years. He was undergoing treatment at Guru Nanak Hospital and had previously been admitted to Jaslok Hospital.

Amitabh Bachchan, who starred in Don, paid tribute to Barot in a heartfelt blog post. “Another and another sad moment,” he wrote. “Dear dear friend and my director of Don – Chandra Barot – passed away this morning. It is difficult to put in words the loss… we worked together, yes, but he was more a family friend than anything else. I can only pray 🙏.”

Barot began his career as an assistant to filmmaker Manoj Kumar and became close friends with Amitabh and Zeenat Aman during the filming of Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. That friendship led to their iconic collaboration on Don.