The late filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, who passed away on Saturday, 1 November 2026, had once recounted in vivid detail how a phone call from dreaded gangster Chhota Rajan left him fleeing his own home in the dead of night. A resurfaced video clip of Gupta in conversation with crime author S. Hussain Zaidi has gone viral following his passing, offering a rare first-person account of Bollywood's troubled intersection with organised crime in the 1990s.

The Phone Call That Upended a Night

In the clip, Gupta described receiving an unexpected call at home. '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',' Gupta recalled. Unaware initially of who he was speaking to, Gupta responded with an offhand quip — only to realise moments later the gravity of the situation. 'I thought Ravi Diwan was joking with me. Why the hell will Chhota Rajan call me? So I said, 'I'm Bada Rajan. Tell me, what is it?',' he recounted.

Gupta later learned — partly through Zaidi's own books — that Bada Rajan had been Chhota Rajan's mentor, and that the latter was deeply affected by his death. The gangster reportedly began abusing him after the ill-timed remark. Gupta said he simply hung up.

A Midnight Escape in Sanjay Dutt's Car

Shaken, Gupta immediately reached out to actor Sanjay Dutt, who was then out on bail. 'I said, 'Sanju, the thing is, get me out of the house right now because they're saying that the boys have come in a taxi outside',' Gupta recounted. Dutt responded swiftly — dispatching Sunil Dutt's official MP car along with a jeep to Gupta's ground-floor residence. 'I dived into the car, shut the door,' Gupta said, describing his hurried departure.

On arriving at Dutt's home, both men found themselves at a loss. The phone rang again — this time it was actor Aditya Pancholi, who arrived shortly and offered a startling confession.

Aditya Pancholi's Admission and an Unlikely Resolution

According to Gupta, Pancholi admitted that the entire incident stemmed from a drunken conversation he had had with an acquaintance. Unhappy with his role in the film 'Ram Shastra', Pancholi had apparently expressed a wish that 'some pressure' be put on Gupta to improve his part — a remark that was reportedly relayed without his explicit instruction to Chhota Rajan's network. 'I said, you have put me into this problem, now get me out of this problem,' Gupta recalled telling Pancholi.

A follow-up call to the gangster was reportedly arranged. Gupta said he apologised, and Chhota Rajan was placated with a request: 'Do one thing, make Aditya Pancholi's role a little better.' Gupta complied, and the matter was resolved. 'Rest, no tension from my side,' the gangster reportedly said.

Industry Mourns Sanjay Gupta's Passing

The clip has resurfaced in the wake of Gupta's death, which sent shockwaves through the Hindi film industry. His last rites were held at Pawan Hans Crematorium and were attended by a large gathering from the fraternity, including Abhishek Bachchan, Rakesh Roshan, Fardeen Khan, Manoj Bajpayee, Rajat Bedi, Ashoke Pandit, Milap Zaveri, Rohit Roy, Ronit Roy, and Gulshan Grover, among others.

The resurfaced account offers a window into an era when the line between Bollywood and organised crime was dangerously blurred — a period extensively documented by Zaidi, with whom Gupta had shared the story. As tributes pour in, the clip serves as an enduring testament to Gupta's candour about a deeply unsettling chapter of his career.