Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, best known for directing films such as ‘Kaante’, ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’, ‘Shootout at Wadala’ and ‘Kaabil’, passed away on October 30 following a head injury at his Mumbai residence. He was 57. According to reports, the filmmaker fell in the bathroom during the night. He is survived by his wife, Anuradha (Anu) Lekhi Gupta, and their two children.Sanjay and Anuradha’s relationship was marked by separation, divorce and an eventual reconciliation. The two dated for around two-and-a-half years before getting married on August 18, 1997. However, their marriage ended in divorce in 2003. Despite parting ways, Sanjay remained deeply attached to Anu and spent the next few years trying to rebuild their relationship. His efforts eventually paid off when the couple remarried in 2009. Over the years, the filmmaker spoke candidly about what went wrong in their first marriage and the circumstances that brought them back together.In one of his last interviews, with author Hussain Zaidi on his YouTube channel Hussain Zaidi Files, Sanjay opened up about how an incident involving the underworld had affected his marriage. He revealed that he had to conceal certain details from Anu to keep her away from a potentially dangerous situation. However, his inability to explain his whereabouts led to misunderstandings between them.Recalling the episode, Sanjay said he was required to have conversations with a particular person to resolve a misunderstanding. A friend offered him an empty flat where he would wait for calls and speak to the person concerned. This arrangement continued for four to five months. Since he could not disclose his whereabouts or explain what he was doing to Anu, she began to suspect that he was having an affair.“Because I cannot tell her where I am going. You are having an affair, she thought. I cannot tell her where I am going. I have to shield her from this,” he said.While Sanjay acknowledged that their marriage had other problems too, he believed this particular episode was among the major factors that contributed to their separation.The filmmaker had also spoken about his own shortcomings during their first marriage. In a 2013 interview with The Times of India, he revealed that he married Anu when she was 21, while he was 29. Admitting that he was going through a difficult phase professionally at the time, Sanjay said his personal behaviour further strained their relationship.“The problem in our marriage was me. I was not successful, was not working, was drinking myself silly and was womanising,” he said.Sanjay also revealed that he was in a relationship with actor Sameera Reddy for three years after his separation from Anu, followed by other relationships. However, he maintained that his feelings for his former wife never faded.“I never went off Anu and knew that it was my moral duty to look after her till she would remarry,” he said, adding that he continued to support her financially. He also spoke about his desire to have her back in his life and how their families continued to share a close bond despite the separation.“I just decided that I had to have her back in my life. We then remarried in 2009 and have two kids now,” he said.Even before their reconciliation, Sanjay had openly expressed his love for Anu. In a 2007 interview with Hindustan Times, he described her as the only woman he had truly loved and made it clear that he was not ready to move on.“I’ve always been in love with the only one woman in my life, ex-wife Anu. She is my true love. Everyone else will come and go,” he said.Despite being divorced, the two continued to share a close relationship. “We are not together but still very much together,” Sanjay said in the same interview, adding that he was willing to wait for Anu to return to him.By October 2008, the filmmaker had confirmed that they were planning to get married again. Speaking to Hindustan Times while shooting for ‘Acid Factory’ in Cape Town, Sanjay revealed that they had continued meeting during their separation, partly because of their pet dogs, Buddy and Yeda. He also remained close to Anu’s family. Recalling their first date, which took place on Valentine’s Day, he said he had proposed to her that very day. He further revealed that he had spent the five years following their divorce trying to win her back.The couple eventually remarried on June 3, 2009, in an intimate ceremony at a temple in Khar, Mumbai. In an interview with The Times of India after the wedding, Sanjay spoke about how he had continued pursuing Anu throughout their years apart and described her as his soulmate.“I have been stalking her all through these five years,” he said.
