Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 1 (ANI): Filmmaker and actor Farhan Akhtar has expressed grief over the demise of Bollywood director Sanjay Gupta, describing his death as shocking and difficult to process.
Taking to Instagram Stories, Farhan shared a heartfelt message remembering Gupta.
He wrote, "RIP Sanjay ..Still not fully processed this has happened .. really shocking and sad. Deepest condolences to the family.”
Several members of the Hindi film industry have also paid tribute to the filmmaker following his death in Mumbai on Saturday.
Sanjay Gupta, known for directing films such as Aatish, Shootout at Lokhandwala, Kaante and Mumbai Saga, passed away on Saturday morning after sustaining a head injury at his residence in Mumbai.
His last rites were performed at the Pawan Hans Crematorium in Mumbai on Saturday evening.
Several Bollywood personalities, including Abhishek Bachchan, Rakesh Roshan, Rajat Bedi, Harshvardhan Rane, Meezaan Jafri, Naved Jaffrey, Rahul Dev, Manoj Bajpayee, Rajpal Yadav and Fardeen Khan, attended the filmmaker's final rites.
Among the most emotional tributes came from actor Sanjay Dutt, who shared a long-standing association with the filmmaker.
Remembering their friendship, Dutt shared photographs of the two and penned an emotional note on social media.
He wrote, "Gupts, my brother. 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 Kante 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. May God bless your soul."
Dutt and Gupta collaborated on several films, including Aatish: Feel the Fire, Jung, Khauff, Kaante, Plan, Musafir, Zinda and Shootout at Lokhandwala.
Actor Kajol also mourned Gupta's demise and extended her condolences to his family through an Instagram post.
She wrote, "Heartbreaking to hear this. Sending love and immense strength to the family to get through this loss. Rest in peace,"
Filmmaker Kunal Kohli expressed shock over the news, recalling his interactions with Gupta and their association as jury members at an awards show.
He wrote, "Don't know how to process this news. #SanjayGupta RIP. Chatted with him little over a month ago. We were both on an awards show jury couple of years ago - we were equally quick to have an argument and a laugh about it later. You had many more films and many years to go. Prayers and strength to the family,"
Sanjay Gupta was widely recognised for his work in the action and crime-thriller genres. His filmography included titles such as Aatish, Kaante, Shootout at Lokhandwala, Shootout at Wadala, Jung, Kaabil and Mumbai Saga.
His last directorial venture was The Miranda Brothers, starring Harshvardhan Rane and Meezaan Jafri, which was released in 2024. As a producer, he was also associated with Visfot, featuring Fardeen Khan and Riteish Deshmukh.
Gupta's films, particularly Kaante and Shootout at Lokhandwala, established his presence in Hindi cinema's crime-drama space. (ANI)
Farhan Akhtar mourns filmmaker Sanjay Gupta's demise: "Still not fully processed this has happened"
