MUMBAI: Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, known for crime dramas and action thrillers like Jung, Kaante, Shootout at Wadala and Kaabil, died at his home in Mumbai last night. He was 57.
Details are still thin. It is heard that Gupta fell in his bathroom at night, and no one realised until early morning, when it emerged that he had died after the fall. Versova police have registered an accidental death report and are looking into what happened. So far, they say, there is no evidence of foul play.
Family sources and Milap Zaveri, a close collaborator, confirmed the news. Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit posted on social media that Gupta died after a head injury at home. “Another talent gone too soon,” Pandit wrote, remembering him as a wonderful narrator and a passionate filmmaker who was full of life.
Hits and misses
Gupta never pretended his career had been a smooth ride. He called his 25 years in films a mix of “hits and misses”. He debuted as a director with Aatish: Feel The Fire in 1994, but it was Kaante in 2002 that made his name. With Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Lucky Ali and Mahesh Manjrekar in the cast, the film put him firmly on the map in the gangster-thriller space.
Then came a rough patch. Gupta told PTI that after his fallout with Dutt, about 90 per cent of the industry did not want to work with him. “They were told not to work with me after my fallout with Sanju,” he said. He was careful to add that Dutt himself never told anyone to stay away. It was people around the actor who discouraged others from working with him. Nearly four years passed before Shootout at Wadala.
He called it an “exceptionally low phase”. He had almost given up on filmmaking, and he started working at a hotel in Khandala four days a week, convinced the industry was done with him.
The turning point
What changed his mind was the birth of his son. Gupta recalled holding the baby and asking himself what he would leave behind for him. He had started working at 15 and made his first film at 22, so why, he wondered, was he ready to quit at 40?
He picked up the phone and called producer Ektaa Kapoor, with whom he had earlier discussed a sequel to Shootout at Lokhandwala, and told her he was ready. John Abraham and Anil Kapoor then came on board, even though, according to Gupta, both had been advised against it. He was especially grateful to Anil Kapoor, who had said publicly that he would step away only if Dutt told him directly and gave him a reason.
Looking back, Gupta said he had learnt to keep work and friendship separate. He and Dutt patched up but did not work together again. He said he trusts people easily and opens up fast, but had learnt to strike a balance.
Shootout at Wadala came out in 2013, followed by Jazbaa in 2015 and Kaabil in 2017. He later worked on the gangster drama Mumbai Saga, Visfot and The Miranda Brothers.
