Late filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, whose recent passing shocked the industry, once shared a chilling encounter with organised crime. An old clip circulating online shows Gupta vividly recalling a threatening call from notorious gangster Chhota Rajan.
Gupta narrated, “I picked up the phone. The person from the other side said, ‘How long have I been calling?’. I said, ‘Who are you?’. He said, ‘I’m Nana’. I said, ‘Who’s Nana?’. He replied, ‘I’m Chhota Rajan’. Thinking it was a prank, I retorted, ‘I’m Bada Rajan. Tell me, what is it?’ He then started abusing me. I later learned that Bada Rajan was his mentor, and his death deeply affected him. I just hung up.”
Realising the gravity, Gupta immediately called Sanjay Dutt, who had recently been out on bail. “Sanju, get me out of the house right now because they’re saying that the boys have come in a taxi outside,” Gupta pleaded. Sanjay Dutt promptly sent Sunil Dutt’s official MP’s car with a jeep to pick him up. Gupta, whose house was on the ground floor, quickly entered the building, dived into the car, and left.
At Dutt’s house, a phone call from actor Aditya Pancholi shed light on the situation. Pancholi arrived, apologising profusely. He admitted that the previous night, while drinking with a friend, he had expressed dissatisfaction with his role in Gupta’s film ‘Ram Shastra’ and wished he could ‘put some pressure’ on Gupta to improve it. This casual remark, somehow communicated to Chhota Rajan, led to the threat.
Gupta confronted Pancholi, “You have put me into this problem, now get me out.” A call was then arranged with Chhota Rajan. Gupta apologised, to which the gangster replied, “It’s alright. You’re very good. We know that. Do one thing, make Aditya Pancholi’s role a little better.” Gupta insisted the role was good, but Rajan reiterated, “No, no, do a little more. Do whatever you can. Rest, no tension from my side.” This incident highlights the dark underbelly of the film industry during that period.