Veteran filmmaker Chandra Barot passed away on Sunday (July 20) at the age of 86. The director had reportedly been battling pulmonary fibrosis. Following his demise, Amitabh Bachchan, who starred in the classic film ‘Don’ directed by Barot, shared a heartfelt note in his memory. Barot had once spoken about the financial struggles he faced during the release of ‘Don’ due to the untimely death of its producer.Barot revealed the financial struggles he endured while shooting DonIn an old conversation with Syed Firdaus Ashraf, Barot opened up about the challenges ‘Don’ faced. Producer Nariman Irani passed away six months before the film’s release, which significantly affected the production financially.‘Don’ had to compete at the box office with major releases like Yash Chopra’s ‘Trishul’, Satyajit Ray’s ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’, ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’, and Prakash Mehra’s ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’.As a debut director, Barot had to navigate this competitive landscape without sufficient funds to promote the film.
They had no money for promotion after the producer’s deathBarot revealed that the film was shot on a shoestring budget of just Rs 25 lakh. After Irani’s demise, many aspects of the project were at risk. Initially, the response to ‘Don’ was underwhelming. Theatres saw low footfall, and the film was almost written off as a flop. However, that changed rapidly, due to its promising music and the power of word-of-mouth publicity.“It was a big disappointment and declared a flop because not many people turned up. Luckily for me, within a week, the song Khaike Paan Banaraswala became a big hit. Word-of-mouth publicity led to the film becoming a major success from the second week onwards. It ran for 50 weeks in all centres and for 75 weeks in Hyderabad,” Barot recalled.‘Don’ became a hit due to its music and word-of-mouth reviewsBarot credited music director Babla for delivering a track that ultimately turned the tide for ‘Don’. He also acknowledged actor Manoj Kumar, who gave him crucial advice during the film’s final cut. Manoj suggested that the film felt too dry and needed a song to lift its appeal.‘Don’ was the only film at the time in which Amitabh appeared in a solo lead role, unlike his other projects that featured ensemble casts. This added to Barot’s pressure as a first-time filmmaker.Barot offered financial support to the late producer’s familyAfter the film became a box office success, Barot and his team made sure that Irani’s debts were settled. “When it became a big hit, we gave the money to Salma Irani, the producer’s widow, to settle her husband’s debts,” he said.The film also featured Zeenat Aman, Pran, Iftekhar, Om Shivpuri, and Satyen Kappu in key roles.
