Stars attend Sanjay Gupta's funeral; Sanjay Dutt vows Kaante 2

Bollywood celebrities attend final rites

Actors Abhishek Bachchan, Manoj Bajpayee, and Rajpal Yadav were among the many industry colleagues who attended the funeral to pay their final respects. Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, who had visited the director's home earlier that day, arrived as one of the first attendees at the cremation site.

Other notable figures present at the crematorium included actors Harshvardhan Rane, Rajat Bedi, and Fardeen Khan. Producers Bhushan Kumar, Ratan Jain, and Ganesh Jain also attended, alongside casting director Mukesh Chhabra and director Vivek Agnihotri. Additional industry colleagues spotted at the final rites included Anees Bazmee, Jaaved Jaaferi, Sameer Soni, and Varun Sharma.

Earlier in the day, colleagues gathered at the filmmaker's residence to offer condolences. Actors Rohit Roy, Ronit Roy, and Gulshan Grover joined filmmakers Ashoke Pandit and Milap Zaveri at the home. Ronit Roy appeared visibly upset during the visits. Ashoke Pandit and Milap Zaveri also visited the family to express their support.

Police investigate fatal kitchen fall

Sanjay Gupta suffered a fatal head injury after falling in his kitchen. The incident occurred late Friday night, October 30, or early Saturday morning, October 31.

DCP North Zone-1 Purushottam Karad confirmed the accidental fall at the director's home in Versova, Mumbai. Versova Police registered an Accidental Death Report following the discovery of the body in the kitchen.

Investigators found no signs of foul play at the residence. The family filed no complaints regarding the event.

Authorities sent the body for a post-mortem examination. Versova Police continue to investigate the circumstances of the fall.

Reports provided conflicting information regarding the age of the director, with some sources stating he was 57 and others 59 years old.

Industry colleagues share tributes and memories

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit confirmed the death on X and expressed sadness over the loss of his friend. Actor Sanjay Dutt shared throwback photos on Instagram and recalled recent talks about a Kaante 2 sequel. Dutt pledged to produce the film in Gupta's memory.

Milap Zaveri called Gupta his "Godfather," "God," "Father," brother and friend. Zaveri credited Gupta for his first break at age 21. They met 10 days before the death to discuss a film title originally produced by Gupta’s father. Zaveri will dedicate that project to the filmmaker.

Legacy of director Sanjay Gupta

Gupta began his directing career with Aatish: Feel the Fire in 1994, which featured Sanjay Dutt, Aditya Pancholi and Raveena Tandon. He founded the production banner White Feather Films in 2001. Before directing, he worked in post-production and sound design while assisting Pankaj Parashar on the TV series Karamchand and the film Jalwa.

Gupta gained recognition for crime dramas, gangster films and action thrillers. He directed the 2007 anthology Dus Kahaniyaan, Acid Factory (2009) and Mumbai Saga (2021).

His later work includes Jazbaa (2015) with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kaabil (2017) with Hrithik Roshan and Yami Gautam, and Shootout at Wadala (2013). His most recent films were The Miranda Brothers (2024) and Visfot (2024).

Family releases statement on passing

The family released a statement on October 31 regarding the filmmaker’s passing. "With profound grief we regret to inform you of the sad demise of our beloved Sanjay Gupta," the family said. They asked for prayers following his death.

Gupta is survived by his spouse, Anu Lekhi, a son and a daughter.

Unsubstantiated controversy regarding viral video

A controversy emerged following a viral video that appears to show Gupta's daughter gesturing with her middle finger toward the paparazzi. The claim that she directed the gesture at the photographers is described as unsubstantiated.