Harshvardhan recalls Sanjay Gupta; mourns filmmaker’s death

Sanjay Gupta passed away on October 30, 2026, reportedly after a fall in his bathroom. Further details about the incident have not been made clear. The filmmaker’s career began with ‘Aatish: Feel the Fire’ (1994), headlined by Sanjay Dutt, which started a long run of collaborations between the two.

Over the years, he directed ‘Kaante’, ‘Musafir’, ‘Zinda’, ‘Shootout at Wadala’ and ‘Jazbaa’, among other films. His final film as director was ‘The Miranda Brothers’ (2024), a sports drama starring Harshvardhan Rane and Meezan.

Harshvardhan Rane mourns Sanjay Gupta’s death

In a conversation with News18, Harshvardhan Rane reflected on Gupta’s death and the memories he will carry of the filmmaker. He said, “I can’t imagine what Anu ma’am (Anuradha Gupta; wife) and kids must be going through.

He was all about loving his family and writing films, non-stop”.

Harshvardhan Rane recalls Goa dinners with Sanjay Gupta

Looking back on the shoot, Rane shared fond memories of working with Gupta. He said, “He directed me in The Miranda brothers. He took me and Meezaan out for dinner in Goa all the time (post-shoot). I’ve never met a happier man, on and off set.”

Sanjay Gupta was fearless on social media

Gupta’s presence on social media was as bold as his filmmaking. On X (formerly Twitter), he was a candid and strongly opinionated voice who said things exactly as he saw them.

He weighed in on industry controversies, questioned filmmaking practices, criticised the state of theatrical cinema and stood up for actors under public scrutiny, and he never seemed to care much about winning approval.

Sanjay Gupta’s last posts defended Daler Mehndi

On X, Gupta said what he thought and let the reaction fall where it may. His posts were sharp, provocative and often divisive, whether he was taking on industry bodies or criticising lazy writing, heavy commercialisation and the misuse of technology in filmmaking. The platform became an extension of his unfiltered self. One of his final posts came to the defence of Daler Mehndi, who faced claims of being drunk onstage at a live show, and sought a public apology from Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal.