The family of late filmmaker Sanjay Gupta is navigating a period of immense grief following his untimely passing on October 30. The director, celebrated for his high-octane crime thrillers like Kaante and Shootout at Lokhandwala, died after sustaining a fatal head injury from an accidental fall at his Mumbai residence. As the industry mourns his loss, his wife, Anuradha Lekhi Gupta, has issued a heartfelt appeal to the media to respect their family’s privacy, specifically regarding their adolescent children.
The request comes in the wake of a viral video circulating on social media, which captured the couple’s daughter allegedly making an inappropriate gesture toward paparazzi while attending her father’s funeral. Addressing the incident, Anuradha explained that their children have grown up away from the spotlight and were understandably overwhelmed by the sudden intrusion during such a traumatic moment. She noted that any reactive behavior was merely an expression of a grieving child struggling with the weight of an irreparable loss.
In a statement shared by director and close friend Milap Zaveri, Anuradha expressed her gratitude for the support received from fans and the film fraternity, while offering a sincere apology for any hurt caused by her children’s actions. She urged the media and the public to show compassion by deleting content that could cause lasting emotional distress to her children. The filmmaker’s final rites were held at the Pawan Hans Crematorium, attended by several Bollywood stars including Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, and Manoj Bajpayee, all of whom gathered to pay their final respects to the visionary director.