Sanjay Gupta, the Indian filmmaker who brought slick, Hollywood-inspired crime thrillers to Bollywood, has died aged 59 after reportedly falling at his Mumbai home.

Gupta died following an incident at his residence on October 30, according to the Press Trust of India.

Police in the city's Versova neighbourhood registered an accidental death report, while friends and colleagues paid tribute to the director of Kaante, Shootout at Wadala and Kaabil.

He is survived by his wife and two children.

Milap Zaveri, a director and longtime friend who wrote dialogue for Kaante, confirmed the news to PTI.

He said: "It is true that he passed away. He fell and hit his head."

Deputy Commissioner Purushottam Karad told the Free Press Journal that Gupta's relatives had been asleep when the incident happened and discovered what had occurred the next morning.

He said: "The family has not raised any suspicion or lodged a complaint."

Sanjay Dutt, 67, who collaborated with Gupta repeatedly, posted an emotional farewell.

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. I will miss you, our conversations and all the times we spent together."

Gupta began directing with Aatish: Feel the Fire in 1994, featuring Dutt and Aditya Pancholi, 61. Films including Ram Shastra, Jung and Khauff followed, establishing his preference for stylized action and morally ambiguous characters.

His breakthrough, Kaante (2002), assembled Amitabh Bachchan, 84, Suniel Shetty, 65, and an ensemble of stars for a Los Angeles bank robbery story.

Production was disrupted by the September 11 attacks, and comparisons with Quentin Tarantino's, 63, Reservoir Dogs accompanied its release.

Gupta received a Filmfare best director nomination for the film. He later acknowledged drawing freely on international cinema, a practice that attracted criticism when Zinda resembled South Korean thriller Oldboy.

Through White Feather Films, Gupta produced projects including Shootout at Lokhandwala, Acid Factory and Dus Kahaniyaan. He directed Shootout at Wadala in 2013, adapting material from S. Hussain Zaidi's Dongri to Dubai.

His 2015 thriller Jazbaa marked Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's, 52, return to cinema. Two years later, he directed Hrithik Roshan, 52, in the revenge drama Kaabil. His later credits included Mumbai Saga and the 2024 production Visfot.

Director Kunal Kohli, 56, recalled speaking with Gupta weeks earlier.

He wrote: "You had many more films and many years to go."

Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty, 55, also remembered their decades of collaboration.

He wrote: "25 Years of working together. I'm not able to process this… we will miss you, one of the sanest voices from mainstream Hindi cinema… may your soul rest in eternal peace."

Director Rahul Dholakia, 64, credited Gupta with changing how filmmakers presented projects to actors and distributors, through edited promotional reels.

His films often combined elaborate action sequences with music and sharply lit urban settings, drawing audiences and scrutiny over their resemblance to overseas productions.

The debate followed his work for decades.

Earlier this year, Gupta discussed plans for Kaante 2, saying its basic story had been developed and that he hoped to start writing the screenplay.