Actor Sanjay Dutt has promised to fulfil late filmmaker and dear friend Sanjay Gupta’s unfulfilled dream of making ‘Kaante 2’.

The actor said he will do everything possible to bring the project to life in memory of his close friend.

Sanjay Dutt took to X to mourn Sanjay Gupta’s demise and shared an emotional note, remembering their years of friendship, the memories they shared and the conversations they had about cinema.

Sharing a series of pictures with the late filmmaker, Sanjay Dutt wrote, “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. You have always been family to me, and that will never change. I will miss you, our conversations and all the times we spent together.”

He added, “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. Life will not be the same without you, brother. May God bless your soul.”

The pictures shared by the actor include a throwback picture from what appears to be a celebration, with Sanjay Dutt feeding cake to Sanjay Gupta. Amitabh Bachchan can also be seen standing beside them.

For the uninitiated, Sanjay Dutt and Sanjay Gupta shared a long professional association, having collaborated on many films, including ‘Aatish: Feel the Fire’ (1994), ‘Kaante’ (2002), ‘Musafir’ (2004) and ‘Zinda’ (2006).

Their association also extended to ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’ (2007), in which Sanjay Dutt was part of the ensemble cast.

One of their most memorable collaborations remains ‘Kaante’, the 2002 action thriller directed by Sanjay Gupta and featuring Sanjay Dutt alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Suniel Shetty, Mahesh Manjrekar, Lucky Ali and Kumar Gaurav.

Sanjay Gupta passed away on October 30 at his residence in Mumbai at the age of 59. According to reports, he reportedly slipped in the bathroom during the night and sustained a head injury.

As per reports, his family members were at home but were unaware of the incident, which reportedly took place late at night.

Actress Sai Pallavi, who is set to portray Sita Maa in the upcoming film ‘Ramayana’, opened up about her preparation for the revered character.

Appearing on the popular quiz reality show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, Sai said that she relied on prayer and meditation to approach the role with the dignity it deserves.

During a conversation with megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Sai Pallavi spoke about the immense responsibility of portraying a figure as revered as Sita Maa.

She emphasised that the film would go beyond being a cinematic experience and become a part of history for generations to come.

Emphasizing the reverence attached to the role, Sai Pallavi shared by saying, “Maine iss patra ke liye sirf prayer kiya aur prarthana kiya ki main jitne bhi obstacles ho mujhe voh patra karne mein, voh saare obstacles nikal jaaye. Kyuki hum jo film bana rahe hain, voh sirf film nahi hain voh itihaas bhi banega aur aage ka generations bhi dekhega, aage ka future dekhega tab hum sab yaha nahi honge. Uss samay voh dignity honi chahiye, toh main sirf prarthana hi kar rahi thi for this role.”

(For this role, I only prayed and asked that whatever obstacles I might face in portraying this character would be removed. Because the film we are making is not just a film; it will also become a part of history, and future generations will watch it. People in the future will look back at it when none of us will be here. At that time, the portrayal should have dignity. So, I was simply praying for this role)

Speaking on how mindfulness helped her navigate high-pressure filming, Sai Pallavi added by saying, “Aisa nahi hain, actually agar main meditate nahi karungi toh mujhe aur saare thoughts aate hain. Toh most of the times, even when I was playing this character of Sita Maa, I believed in doing meditation. During playing this character, I learnt ki main jabhi bhi koi stressful situation mein hoon, I realised you should just witness it rather than just acting towards it. Whenever I used to come across a stressful situation, I started thinking how Sita Maa would have reacted so this is what I feel I learnt from Sita Maa’s character.”

(It’s not like that. Actually, if I don’t meditate, I end up having even more thoughts. So, most of the time, even while playing the character of Sita Maa, I believed in practising meditation. While portraying this character, I learnt that whenever I am in a stressful situation, I should simply observe it rather than react to it. Whenever I encountered a stressful situation, I started thinking about how Sita Maa would have reacted. This is what I feel I learnt from the character of Sita Maa)

For the uninitiated, Ramayan stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Ravie Dubey as Lord Lakshman and is directed by Nitesh Tiwari.

According to the Mumbai Police, the family members of filmmaker Sanjay Gupta discovered him the following morning and alerted the police after he passed away aged 59 by falling in the bathroom on October 30.

The Versova Police are investigating the matter. Sanjay Gupta fell in the bathroom of his house on October 30, following which he died.

A Mumbai Police official said that other people were present at the house at the time of the incident. However, as the incident took place late at night, the family members could not immediately become aware of it.

The family members spotted him the following morning and immediately informed the police. The police also received information about the incident only in the morning. According to the police, the family has not expressed any suspicion so far. The necessary procedures in the case are currently being carried out.

The forensics team has also reached the late filmmaker’s residence in Mumbai.

Sanjay Gupta was best known for directing films such as ‘Kaante’, ‘Kaabil’ and ‘Shootout at Wadala ’ along with producing movies such as Shootout at Lokhandwala, Jazbaa and Acid Factory.

He passed away at the age of 59. As per sources closes to media, the filmmaker passed away on October 30 after slipping in the bathroom at night and injuring his head.

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit confirmed Sanjay Gupta’s death and wrote on Instagram: “It’s really shocking and sad. Just got the news that our dear friend an ace director @_sanjaygupta is no more. He passed due to a head injury at home.”

Sanjay Gupta stepped into the world of cinema in 1994 with Aatish: Feel the Fire starring Aditya Pancholi and Sanjay Dutt.

He then went on to direct, produce and write movies such as Ram Shastra, Khauff, Jung, Kaante, Musafir, Zinda and Shootout at Lokhandwala among others.

His last work includes The Miranda Brothers, which was released in 2025. Sanjay Gupta directed and produced the film starring Harshvardhan Rane and Meezaan Jafri.