Mumbai, November 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
An old video of late filmmaker Sanjay Gupta recalling a frightening encounter with underworld gangster Chhota Rajan has resurfaced following his death, offering a glimpse into an incident in which a dispute over an actor’s role in a film allegedly led to a threat call.
In the clip, Gupta recounts his conversation with author S. Hussain Zaidi, describing how he received a call from a man identifying himself as Chhota Rajan. Initially assuming that the caller was joking, Gupta responded by calling himself “Bada Rajan”, unaware of the significance of the name.
Gupta later realised the seriousness of the call and said he was threatened with consequences after the caller allegedly objected to the way Aditya Pancholi’s role was being handled in the film ‘Ram Shastra’.
The filmmaker recalled immediately contacting actor Sanjay Dutt, who had recently come out on bail. After being told that men had reportedly arrived outside his house in a taxi, Gupta said Dutt arranged a vehicle from his father Sunil Dutt’s official MP’s car fleet to help him leave safely.
Gupta said he reached Dutt’s residence, where Aditya Pancholi subsequently arrived and apologised. Pancholi reportedly explained that he had complained to a friend about his role in the film and wanted pressure to be put on Gupta to improve it. He said he had not directly contacted the gangster, but the conversation had somehow reached him.
According to Gupta’s account, a call was eventually arranged with Chhota Rajan. The filmmaker apologised and was told that he was respected, but was also asked to make Pancholi’s role better. Gupta said he was assured that there would be no further trouble if he did so.
Sanjay Gupta passed away on Saturday, leaving members of the film industry in shock. His last rites were held at Pawan Hans Crematorium in Mumbai.
Several film personalities attended his final journey, including Abhishek Bachchan, Rakesh Roshan, Fardeen Khan, Manoj Bajpayee, Rajat Bedi, Ashoke Pandit, Milap Zaveri, Rohit Roy, Ronit Roy and Gulshan Grover.
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