Sanjay Gupta funeral: Abhishek Bachchan attends as Hrithik, Sanjay Dutt mourn director

Dubai: Bollywood is mourning filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, the director behind Kaante, Musafir and Shootout at Wadala, who died on Saturday, October 31. He was 59.

His last rites were held at the Versova crematorium in Mumbai on Saturday evening, attended by friends and colleagues from the film industry, while others paid tribute on social media.

What happened

According to police, Gupta lost his balance and fell inside his home in Versova, Mumbai, suffering a severe head injury.

Police told Outlook India that CCTV footage showed him walking from the drawing room to the kitchen at around 2am, when he lost his balance and fell against a wall. His wife and two children were asleep in their rooms at the time. The family found him the next morning and took him for medical help, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Versova police have opened an inquiry into the accidental death. Officers said the family does not suspect foul play, and preliminary checks found nothing suspicious. His body was taken to Cooper Hospital for a post-mortem.

Friends gather for last rites

Abhishek Bachchan, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, Rajpal Yadav, Rajat Bedi, Ronit Roy and Rohit Roy were among those at the crematorium, ThePrint reported. Manoj Bajpayee, Fardeen Khan, Sonu Sood, Gulshan Grover and Farah Khan visited his home to pay their respects.

The funeral pyre was lit by his son and daughter.

'I wish I had hugged you harder'

Hrithik Roshan, who starred in Gupta's 2017 thriller Kaabil, shared an emotional note on Instagram.

"Sanjay, I'm gonna miss you man. One film with you wasn't enough … I will always remember our time together with so much love for you … your laughter, your passion, that child in you that lit up with every good idea, there was so much more we needed to do together man, this is way too soon," he wrote.

"I'm gonna remember you with so much gratitude my friend, I wish I had hugged you harder and thanked you for giving me the best experience of my life with Kaabil. Nobody will fully know how much you gave that film. I'm heartbroken, this was too soon. Rest in peace my friend."

A promise to make Kaante 2

For Sanjay Dutt, who starred in several of Gupta's films, including Kaante, the loss was personal.

"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," Dutt wrote on X. "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."

Filmmaker Milap Zaveri, who worked with Gupta on films including Musafir and Shootout at Wadala, called him his mentor.

"Guruji…my Gups. My Godfather. My God. My Father. My brother. My friend. I was 21 when you taught me life is not only full of flowers but also Kaante. You gave me life in this industry. Whenever I failed you called and gave me work," he wrote, using Guruji, a respectful Hindi term for a teacher, and playing on the title Kaante, which means thorns.

Zaveri added that he had told Gupta the title of his next film only 10 days earlier, and that he would dedicate it to him.

'Gone too soon'

Actor Riteish Deshmukh, who worked with Gupta on Visfot, which Gupta produced, also paid tribute.

"Sanjay Gupta was a large-hearted man who made stylish and entertaining blockbusters that we all loved," he wrote on X. "Gone too soon. I have been stunned since morning from the time I got the devastating news of his tragic passing. It's a huge loss to the film industry."

Aditya Pancholi, who starred in Gupta's debut film, shared a black-and-white photo from the first day of the Aatish shoot. "I met Sanjay Gupta in 1992 when he was a 23-year-old aspiring director," he wrote. "Went on to do five films with him."

Dia Mirza, who worked with Gupta on Dus Kahaniyaan, Shootout at Lokhandwala and Acid Factory, remembered him as one of the most well-read directors she had known, and said his greatest legacy was the opportunities he gave young filmmakers. John Abraham, Suniel Shetty and Kajol also shared their condolences.

A career in crime thrillers

Gupta made his directorial debut with Aatish: Feel the Fire in 1994 and became known for stylish gangster dramas and crime thrillers over a career spanning more than three decades.

His films include Jung, Kaante, Musafir, Zinda, Shootout at Wadala, Jazbaa, Kaabil and Mumbai Saga. He also produced Shootout at Lokhandwala, directed by Apoorva Lakhia, through his company White Feather Films.

He is survived by his wife, Anuradha, and their two children.