Sanjay Gupta said he had no work after his fallout with Sanjay Dutt. Following the filmmaker's death, Dutt has vowed to complete their dream project, 'Kaante 2', in his memory.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleFilmmaker Sanjay Gupta's long friendship with Sanjay Dutt survived years of estrangement, professional setbacks and painful misunderstandings. Now, following Gupta's death at the age of 57, Dutt has promised to fulfil one of his late friend's biggest dreams, i.e., making Kaante 2.
The promise carries particular significance given the pair's turbulent history. Before their reconciliation, Gupta said his fallout with Dutt had left him without work and struggling to keep his production business afloat.
Gupta and Dutt shared a close professional and personal bond that began with Gupta's directorial debut, Aatish: Feel the Fire. The duo went on to collaborate on films such as Jung, Khauff and Kaante, with the latter becoming one of the filmmaker's most recognised works. However, their relationship deteriorated around the time Gupta made Shootout at Lokhandwala. Speaking to The Times of India in 2013, the filmmaker recalled how the fallout between them affected his career. He said:
"I had a fallout with Dutt from 2007 to 2011. I was sitting at home."
He also acknowledged that the dispute was not a direct disagreement between the two friends, but was rather fuelled by people around them. Describing his dear friend, Sanju, as "impulsive" and "kaan ka kacchha", the filmmaker noted, "While there was no problem between him and me, there were people in between who messed up our relationship...Today, they are neither with him nor in the business."
Gupta also claimed that the fallout left him physically and mentally isolated. He had nearly lost all relationships in the industry, and the films he was producing were no longer working. It was during this time that he endured back-to-back personal tragedies, including the death of his sister in 2007 followed by his mother in 2008. His relationship with his surviving sister also allegedly suffered due to her growing connection with Dutt.
During this already turbulent phase, Gupta was also trying to reconcile with his estranged wife, Anuradha. While the couple eventually reunited and renewed their wedding vows in 2009 after six years of divorce, Sanjay couldn't fulfil his wife's dream of living in Goa, because "by the time I remarried her, I had lost the Goa house."
With projects drying up, the filmmaker was preparing to lease his office to earn an income. However, an opportunity to make Shootout at Wadala changed his course after he spoke to producer Ekta Kapoor.
After years apart, Dutt and Gupta finally reconciled at Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday celebration in 2012. Their reunion marked the end of a painful chapter, although Gupta acknowledged that their relationship could not simply return to how it had been. "It can never be the same as before," he said in the 2013 interview.
Despite the reconciliation, the two did not immediately reunite professionally. Regardless, their friendship continued, and the filmmaker later spoke about finding the right story for another legendary collaboration with Sanju. In an interview with the InControversial Podcast, the filmmaker explained why he wanted their next project to emerge naturally rather than rushing into a reunion. Gupta said:
"My problem is that it has to come organically. If you see from 2007, we made Lokhandwala and we released Wadala in 2014, but it took those many years for the story. So likewise, now I am seeing Sanju do all this, and he is doing a great job; there's no denying that."
The producer heaped praise on Dutt's performance as 'SP Chaudhary Aslam' in Aditya Dhar-directed international hit, Dhurandhar. He said he felt Dutt's potential had been "grossly wasted" before his much-needed comeback, as "filmmakers did not know how to present him." Reflecting on his decades-long bond as friends and co-workers, Gupta said:
"The kind of films that he has done, the filmmakers did not know how to present him. They didn't know his strengths, and they didn't take that time out to study. I didn't have to study; I grew up with him."
The filmmaker had been developing plans for Kaante 2 and envisioned an ensemble cast featuring Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Manoj Bajpayee, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma and Ali Fazal. In a May 2026 interview, he spoke about his wish.
After Gupta's death was confirmed on October 31, 2026, Dutt shared an emotional tribute to his late "brother," remembering his recent discussions with the filmmaker about the much-anticipated sequel. The original Kaante, released in 2002, followed six men who plan a bank robbery. Featuring Dutt, Amitabh Bachchan, Suniel Shetty, Mahesh Manjrekar, Lucky Ali and Kumar Gaurav, the crime drama became one of Gupta's best-known films.
Promising to bring the project to life in his memory, the actor wrote, "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 (sic)."
In another part of his heartfelt note, Dutt expressed disbelief over his friend's sudden demise. He 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."
With Dutt now pledging to make the sequel, Kaante 2 could become a tribute to the filmmaker's vision and the friendship that endured despite years of separation.
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