Mumbai (Maharshtra) [India], November 31 (ANI): The celebrated Bollywood director Sanjay Gupta was laid to rest in Mumbai on Saturday in the presence of several Hindi film celebrities, including Abhishek Bachchan, Rakesh Roshan and others.
Sanjay Gupta, the director of critically acclaimed films like 'Aatish', 'Shootout at Lokhandwala', 'Mumbai Saga', 'Jung', 'Kaate' and others, passed away on Saturday morning after sustaining a head injury at his residence in Mumbai.
While the tributes have been flowing for the filmmaker on social media, the director was laid to rest at the Pawan Hans Crematorium on Saturday evening.
Several Bollywood stars, including Abhishek Bachchan, Rakesh Roshan, Rajat Bedi, Harshvardhan Rane, Meezaan Jafri, Naved Jaffrey, Rahul Dev, Manoj Bajpayee, Rajpal Yadav, Fardeen Khan and many others, appeared upset as they arrived at the final rites of the director.
Rajat Bedi, Atul Agnihotri, and Fardeen Khan also arrived at the funeral of the director.
Rajpal Yadav expressed his sorrow on the passing of the filmmaker Sanjay Gupta. He described it as a "huge blow" to the Indian film industry.
While talking to ANI, Rajpal Yadav said, "The passing of Sanjay Gupta ji is an absolutely severe blow. Everyone is very, very deeply saddened. This is an untoward tragedy, and there really are no words to say anything. This is a huge blow for the industry. There are no words. May God grant peace to his soul and give strength to the entire family."
Veteran director Subhash Ghai said that he is very "sad" regarding the demise of the filmmaker and his dear friend Sanjay Gupta.
While talking to ANI, Subhash Ghai said, "It's very sad. He was my good friend. He was a progressive director and producer. We used to meet often and I am very sad. May his soul rest in peace."
Shortly after learning of the demise of his “brother” and filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt penned an emotional note, mourning his loss and remembering their cherished bond.
Sanjay Dutt, who shared a long association with Sanjay Gupta, posted pictures of the two together from different phases of their lives.
While remembering the director, Sanjay Dutt 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."
Notably, Sanjay Dutt collaborated with Gupta on several projects, including Aatish: Feel the Fire, Jung, Khauff, Kaante, Plan, Musafir, Zinda, and Shootout at Lokhandwala.
Following the news of Gupta's demise, several members of the film fraternity took to their respective social media handles to express grief and extend condolences to his family.
Actor Kajol shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, expressing sorrow over the filmmaker's untimely death and extending support to his bereaved family.
"Heartbreaking to hear this. Sending love and immense strength to the family to get through this loss. Rest in peace," she posted.
Filmmaker Kunal Kohli also expressed shock over the news, recalling his interactions with Gupta and sharing memories of their association at an awards show.
"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," he wrote.
Sanjay Gupta was quite active on social media, particularly on X, where he frequently shared his opinions on various issues concerning the film industry.
On the professional front, his last directorial venture was The Miranda Brothers, starring Harshvardhan Rane and Meezaan Jafri, which was released in 2024. As a producer, he also came up with 'Visfot', featuring Fardeen Khan and Riteish Deshmukh.
Before that, he directed Mumbai Saga (2021), starring John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi in lead roles.
However, Gupta was widely recognised for directing crime dramas such as 'Shootout at Lokhandwala' and 'Kaante', which established his presence in the crime thriller genre.
His other directorial ventures included 'Kaabil' and 'Shootout at Wadala'.Known for his work in action and crime-based films, Gupta made a significant contribution to Hindi cinema through his distinctive storytelling and films centred on crime, action and drama. (ANI)
