Filmmaker Chandra Barot, who helmed the 1978 cult classic ‘Don’ starring Amitabh Bachchan in a pivotal role died on Sunday, July 20, at the age of 86. His wife Deepa Barot said he had been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis for the past seven years.

Deepa told The Times of India that  revealed that the veteran filmmaker was undergoing treatment at Guru Nanak Hospital under Dr Manish Shetty. He had also been admitted to Jaslok Hospital earlier.

Barot’s film journey has been very special. Born and brought up in Tanzania, Chandra began his career in banking but later returned to India and worked as an assistant director with filmmaker Manoj Kumar. He collaborated on films like ‘Purab Aur Paschim’, ‘Yadgaar’, ‘Shor’ and ‘Roti Kapda Aur Makaan’.

However, it was Don that would cement his name in Indian cinematic history. A film that was made at a time when producer Nariman Irani was deep in debt. Barot and his team decided to produce a film with a script written by Salim-Javed, a script that had already been rejected by some of Bollywood’s biggest stars, including Dev Anand, Dharmendra, and Jeetendra.

Don not only became a huge hit, it also gave a new direction to Hindi cinema and laid the foundation for an iconic franchise. Barot went on to make a few more films after that, such as the Bengali film Ashrita and Pyar Bhara Dil, but many plans remained unfulfilled.

Still, Don’s legacy lives on. In 2006, Shah Rukh Khan starred in its remake, which paid homage to the original while also giving it a new look. A prequel followed, and now Farhan Akhtar is working on the third part, starring Ranveer Singh and Kriti Sanon in the lead roles.