Mumbai, Oct 31 Sanjay Gupta, the filmmaker and producer behind popular crime and gangster dramas such as “Kaante”, “Musafir”, “Shootout at Lokhandwala” and “Kaabil”, died after sustaining a head injury in a fall at his Versova residence. He was 59.
He is survived by wife Anuradha and their two children.
In a statement on Saturday, Mumbai Police said Gupta passed away at midnight after losing his balance, falling inside his house, and suffering a head injury that led to excessive bleeding.
“His wife, two children, and a domestic helper reside with him in the said bungalow. However, as everyone was asleep during the night, the incident came to light this morning. The family has no suspicion or complaint,” the police said.
“The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination. An inquiry into the accidental death is underway by the Versova Police Station,” it added.
Gupta’s last rites will be held at Versova Crematorium Ground at 7:30 pm.
His death sent shockwaves through the film industry, with several actors, including his frequent collaborators Sanjay Dutt and John Abraham as well as Kajol, Kangana Ranaut and Dia Mirza, expressing grief and disbelief over his demise on social media.
Several close friends, including filmmakers Milap Zaveri, Rakesh Roshan, actors Rohit Roy, Ronit Roy, Sonu Sood, Manoj Bajpayee and Fardeen Khan, also visited his residence.
Born in Mumbai, Gupta became fascinated with storytelling during his college years and began working with filmmaker Pankaj Parashar on the television series “Karamchand” (1985) and the film “Jalwa” (1987). He subsequently worked with filmmaker Raj Sippy on films such as “Shehzaade” (1989), “Mahaadev” (1989) and “Thanedaar”, starring Dutt.
In interviews with different publications, Gupta said two films that left a lasting impression on him were Mani Ratnam’s acclaimed Tamil crime drama “Nayakan” (1987) and Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s gangster drama “Parinda” (1989).
In 1994, he made directorial debut with “Aatish: Feel the Fire” in 1994, starring Dutt, Atul Agnihotri and Aditya Pancholi. The film marked the beginning of his long-standing professional association and friendship with Dutt.
He subsequently directed films such as “Ram Shastra” (1995), “Hameshaa” (1997), “Jung” (2000) and “Khauff” (2000), exploring themes of crime, revenge and betrayal.
Then came “Kaante” in 2002, a crime thriller featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Mahesh Manjrekar, Kumar Gaurav and Lucky Ali, which went on to become one of the most recognised films of his career.
The film, which was inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” (1992), was praised for the performances of its ensemble cast, stylised action sequences and narrative structure.
In his tribute on X, Dutt expressed grief over Gupta’s death and revealed that the two had recently discussed making a sequel to “Kaante”.
“I still cannot believe that you are gone. We have shared so much together, so many memories and so many years of friendship. You have always been family to me, and that will never change. I will miss you, our conversations and all the times we spent together. We were just discussing ‘Kaante 2’ recently.
“I will make ‘Kaante 2’ your dream, in memory of you my brother, I will do everything for this dream of yours to come true, love you forever and always. Life will not be the same without you, brother,” he posted.
Post “Kaante”, Gupta continued exploring the crime genre with “Musafir” (2004) and “Zinda” (2006), both featuring Dutt.
While “Musafir”, also starring Anil Kapoor, revolved around a man drawn into the world of crime, “Zinda” was an adaptation of the South Korean film “Oldboy”. “Zinda” marked the beginning of his association with Abraham and the duo later worked on two more films.
Abraham shared a photo with Gupta on X and wrote, “May you ride in heaven…”
Gupta also established his production company, White Feather Films, through which he backed several projects.
As a producer and screenwriter, Gupta was associated with “Shootout at Lokhandwala” (2007), which dramatised the 1991 police encounter at Mumbai’s Lokhandwala Complex.
The Apoorva Lakhia-directed film, featuring Vivek Oberoi, Dutt and Bachchan, was praised by critics and also performed well at the box office.
He subsequently directed “Shootout at Wadala” (2013), based on the life of gangster Manya Surve, with Abraham playing the lead role.
Although crime dramas remained central to his filmography, Gupta also ventured into other genres. He directed “Jazbaa” (2015), a courtroom thriller starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and “Kaabil” (2017), a revenge drama featuring Hrithik Roshan and Yami Gautam.
He returned to the Mumbai crime genre with “Mumbai Saga” (2021), starring Abraham and Emraan Hashmi.
In recent years, Gupta continued working across theatrical and streaming platforms. He directed “The Miranda Brothers” (2024), featuring Meezaan Jafri and Harshvardhan Rane, and produced “Visfot” (2024), starring Riteish Deshmukh and Fardeen Khan, which premiered on JioCinema.
Gupta was also among the most active Indian filmmakers on social media platform X, where he had around 1.7 lakh followers. He frequently used the platform to share his views on films, the entertainment industry and current affairs.
(PTI News)
