Sanjay Gadhvi, director of Dhoom franchise, dies of heart attack at 57

Former CEO of Ajay Devgn Films, Meena Iyer mourned the filmmaker’s demise on social media. She wrote on X, “Shocking: Sanjay Gadhvi’s passing. I met him last week at PVR watching Killers of The Flower Moon. We exchanged pleasantries and I thought all day of #Dhoom. Rest in peace 🙏.” Actor Richa Chaddha reacted to her post, “What the what 😦”.

Shocking: Sanjay Gadhvi’s passing. I met him last week at PVR watching Killers of The Flower Moon. We exchanged pleasantries and I thought all day of #Dhoom. Rest in peace 🙏

— Meena Iyer (@Meena_Iyer) November 19, 2023

Sanjay’s family released a statement after his demise and shared details about his last rites. The note read as, “Join us in honouring the life of our most beloved Sanjay – father, son, husband, brother and a dear friend to all. Assemble at Green Acres at 9:30am and proceed at Oshiwara Crematorium at 10:30am. Deeply missed and fondly remembered by The Gadhvi Family.”

Sanjay Gadhvi was 57 years old.

Sanjay embarked on his Bollywood journey with the 2001 film Tere Liye, which didn’t resonate well with audiences and largely went unnoticed. However, his breakthrough came in 2002 with Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, a Yash Raj Films production starring Uday Chopra, Jim Shergill, and Tulip Joshi. Following this success, he helmed another YRF production — Dhoom (2004), which not only became a box office sensation but also kickstarted a lucrative film franchise.

His directorial prowess continued with Dhoom 2, starring Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Uday Chopra. The film was a massive success at the box office and became the top-grossing Hindi film of 2006.

Sanjay’s subsequent projects included Kidnap (2008) and Ajab Gazabb Love (2012), which did not replicate the same success at the box office as his previous films and were declared box office failures. He made his digital debut with Amit Sadh’s Operation Parindey, which premiered on Zee 5.