‘Dhoom’ director Sanjay Gadhvi passes away at 56
Mumbai: ‘Dhoom’ director Sanjay Gadhvi died on Sunday morning at his residence here, his elder daughter Sanjina said. He was 56. Gadhvi, who was three days shy of his 57th birthday, is best known for helming two blockbuster hits in the Yash Raj Films’ ‘Dhoom’ franchise: ‘Dhoom’ (2004) and ‘Dhoom 2’ (2006).
According to Gadhvi’s daughter, the director was ‘perfectly healthy’. “He passed away at 9:30 am this morning at his residence. We are not sure what it is, but it is most likely a heart attack. He wasn’t unwell. He was perfectly healthy,” Sanjina told the top news agency.
Gadhvi made his directorial debut in 2000 with ‘Tere Liye’, which he followed up with 2002’s ‘Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai’, his first project with ‘Yash Raj Films’. In a statement shared on ‘X’, the studio said the ‘magic Gadhvi created on the screen will be cherished forever’. “May his soul rest in peace,” it further read.
Gadhvi gained prominence with his third directorial, the stylish action thriller ‘Dhoom’, which made motorbiking a rage among Indian youth in the early 2000s.
“Sanju, when I spoke to you last week and we were reminiscing about our shoots and memories, I’d never have imagined even in my craziest dreams that I would have to write a post like this. I’m shocked beyond belief,” Abhishek Bachchan wrote on ‘Instagram’ alongside a photo he took of Gadhvi while they were filming the climax of ‘Dhoom 2’ in South Africa.
He added, “You had faith in me, even when I didn’t. You gave me my first-ever hit! I can never ever forget that or be able to express what it meant to me. I will cherish your friendship always. Rest in peace, my brother.”
Bipasha Basu shared a picture of Gadhvi on ‘Instagram Stories’ and wrote, “RIP, my friend. Om Shanti. Gone too soon.” Shibasish Sarkar, president of the ‘Producers Guild of India’ wrote on ‘X’, “It’s shocking. Sanjay is no more! Pray to God for his soul to rest in peace and give all the strength to his family.”
Kunal Kohli, director of ‘Hum Tum’ and ‘Fanaa’, was one of the first film personalities to condole Gadhvi’s demise on social media.
