The year was 1967. The place, Tanzania. Like other African countries troubled by race riots, the country was facing a politically uncertain future. It was then that a young banker called Chandra Barot (right) decided it was time to say goodbye to his motherland.
Barot's father had moved to Dar-es-Salam in 1930 and, when his son Chandra grew up, he got a job at Barclay's Bank. Now, his two brothers had already moved to England and settled down, so that seemed like a natural choice. But, before moving to London, Chandra traveled to Mumbai to meet his sister -- the singer Kamal Barot. He soon forgot about moving to London, and got involved in filmmaking instead.
"I was destined to be in Mumbai," says Barot today, thinking back.
After assisting director Manoj Kumar, he finally directed a film. His only film. Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman, it was called, simply, Don.
Check out: This Diwali/Eid: Don vs Jaan-E-Mann
In an interview with Syed Firdaus Ashraf, Chandra Barot talks about the project that changed his life, and what he thinks about the upcoming remake of his classic film.