Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, known for Kaante and Shootout films, dies after accidental fall at home

Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, celebrated for his stylised crime thrillers and action dramas including Kaante, Shootout at Lokhandwala and Kaabil, passed away on the night of October 30, 2026. He was 59.

According to reports and confirmation from industry figures, Gupta suffered a fall in the bathroom at his residence. The incident went unnoticed until early on October 31, when it emerged that he had died from a head injury. Filmmaker and FWICE chief advisor Ashoke Pandit confirmed the news, stating that Gupta “passed due to a head injury at home.”

Gupta built a distinctive career over three decades focusing on gritty urban crime stories, underworld sagas and stylised action, often drawing from real events or international films while working within mainstream Hindi cinema. He made his directorial debut with Aatish: Feel the Fire (1994), starring Sanjay Dutt and Aditya Pancholi. Notable subsequent films include Ram Shastra, Khauff, Jung, the ensemble heist thriller Kaante (2002), which he also produced and which featured Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty and others, Musafir, Zinda, Shootout at Wadala (2013), Jazbaa (2015), Kaabil (2017, starring Hrithik Roshan) and Mumbai Saga (2021).

He produced Shootout at Lokhandwal (2007), a recreation of the 1991 police encounter, and several other projects under his banner White Feather Films. Frequent collaborators included Sanjay Dutt and John Abraham. Later works included The Miranda Brothers (2025). Gupta had earlier survived a serious car accident years ago while driving back from Pune.

Tributes poured in quickly from the industry. Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, who worked with him on Kaabil, called the news “shockingly sad.” Actor Riteish Deshmukh and others also shared their grief. Kamaal R Khan remembered him as knowledgeable about films and Bollywood.

Gupta is survived by his wife, Anu Lekhi. The couple had divorced earlier but remarried after a few years.