Mumbai: Bollywood is mourning the demise of renowned filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, who passed away at the age of 59 at his residence in Mumbai.

Gupta was known for directing popular films such as Jung, Kaante, Shootout at Wadala and Kaabil. His death was confirmed by his close associate and filmmaker Milap Zaveri.

According to preliminary reports, Gupta allegedly fell inside the bathroom of his residence on Friday night. The incident reportedly went unnoticed, and he was found dead on Saturday morning.

While the exact cause of death has not been officially established, filmmaker Ashoke Pandit shared a social media post stating that Gupta suffered a head injury. The Versova Police have registered an accidental death case and initiated an investigation.

Sanjay Gupta began his directorial career in 1994 with Aatish: Feel the Fire. However, the 2002 crime drama Kaante, featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Lucky Ali and Mahesh Manjrekar, brought him major recognition.

Over the years, Gupta established a distinct identity in Bollywood with his gangster dramas and crime thrillers.

However, his professional journey was not without challenges. Gupta had once described his 25-year career as a mixture of successes and failures. Following reported differences with actor Sanjay Dutt after the success of Kaante, he faced difficulties finding work in the film industry.

He even considered giving up filmmaking and started working four days a week at a hotel in Khandala. But the birth of his son changed his perspective, inspiring him to return to cinema.

He later approached producer Ekta Kapoor, and actors John Abraham and Anil Kapoor agreed to work with him. In 2013, Gupta made his directorial comeback with Shootout at Wadala.

He subsequently directed films such as Jazbaa in 2015 and Kaabil in 2017. His other projects included Mumbai Saga, Visfot and The Miranda Brothers.

Sanjay Gupta's demise marks the loss of a filmmaker who carved out a distinct place in Bollywood with his signature crime dramas and storytelling style.