# Sanjay Gupta (director)

Sanjay Gupta is an Indian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter working primarily in Bollywood industry. Gupta is mostly known for his remakes of American action-thriller and crime films, including films such as Aatish, Kaante, Kaabil, Shootout at Lokhandwala, Shootout at Wadala, Jazbaa and Zinda, and Mumbai Saga . He has frequently cast Sanjay Dutt and John Abraham in his films.

## Film career

Gupta started his career with Aatish: Feel the Fire (1994) starring Aditya Pancholi and Sanjay Dutt. Later he went to write and direct films including Ram Shastra, Khauff and Jung. The filming of Jung (2000), lasted over two years. While filming Kaante in the Los Angeles in 2001, the events of the 9/11 attack forced the film to relocate planned scenes from several areas that were then considered sensitive. Commentators noted a similarity in Kaante to Quentin Tarantino's film Reservoir Dogs. Gupta said that he was inspired by a number of other films as well, including The Asphalt Jungle, The Killing, and the film that inspired Reservoir Dogs, Ringo Lam's City on Fire. Further, responding to allegations of plagiarism, he went on to state that he would "beg, borrow and steal from any medium, be it films, newspapers, magazines, novels, reality, fiction, to make an interesting story."
Gupta's Zinda (2006) has been described as an unofficial remake of the Korean film Oldboy.
He also produced the films Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007) and Dus Kahaniyaan, and directed and co-produced Shootout at Wadala, the prequel to Shootout at Lokhandwala.
On December 24, 2019, he made an announcement on the acquisition of Yali Dream Creations' Rakshak. Gupta took to Twitter to share the details about the project which revolves around a "vigilante" superhero. "So proud and happy to announce that my company White Feather Films has acquired the rights for 'RAKSHAK' A thrilling graphic novel about a vigilante superhero. This is India's first graphic novel to be made into a massive and ambitious feature film to be directed by me," the director wrote alongside the covers of the four issues to the comics. He said he would be producing it under his company, White Feather Entertainment, along with co-producers, Asvin Srivatsangam and Vivek Rangachari from Yali Dream Works.

## Filmography

| Year | Film | Director | Producer | Writer | Note |
| 1994 | Aatish: Feel the Fire | Yes | | Yes | Inspired by Deewaar, A Better Tomorrow, and State of Grace |
| 1995 | Ram Shastra | Yes | | Yes | Based on Hard to Kill |
| 1997 | Hameshaa | Yes | | Yes | |
| 2000 | Jung | Yes | | Yes | Based on Desperate Measures |
| 2000 | Khauff | Yes | | Yes | Based on The Juror |
| 2002 | Kaante | Yes | | Yes | Inspired by City On Fire and Reservoir Dogs Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Director |
| 2004 | Plan | | Yes | Yes | Based on Suicide Kings |
| 2004 | Musafir | Yes | | Yes | Based on U Turn |
| 2006 | Zinda | Yes | | Yes | Based on Oldboy |
| 2007 | Shootout at Lokhandwala | | Yes | | |
| 2007 | Dus Kahaniyaan | Yes | Yes | | Inspired by The Ten and Tales from the Crypt |
| 2008 | Woodstock Villa | | Yes | | Based on Japanese movie Chaos |
| 2009 | Acid Factory | | Yes | | Based on Unknown |
| 2010 | Pankh | | Yes | | |
| 2013 | Shootout at Wadala | Yes | Yes | Yes | Based on the book Dongri to Dubai |
| 2015 | Jazbaa | Yes | Yes | Yes | Based on Seven Days |
| 2017 | Kaabil | Yes | | | Inspired by Blind Fury and Broken |
| 2021 | Mumbai Saga | Yes | Yes | | |
| 2024 | Visfot | | Yes | | Official adaptation of 2012 Venezuelan film Rock, Paper, Scissors |