Sanjay Gupta’s wife, Anuradha, has defended her daughter’s reaction to paparazzi at his funeral, calling it an expression of grief and requesting privacy.
Sanjay Gupta’s Wife Reacts After Daughter Made Inappropriate Gesture At Paps, Urges To Delete Viral Videos (Photo: IANS)
ByETV Bharat Entertainment Team
Hyderabad: Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta’s sudden death has left his family and the film industry in shock. Days after his demise, a video from his funeral went viral on social media, showing his daughter, Dalai, making an inappropriate gesture towards paparazzi waiting outside.
The video received mixed reactions, with some people criticising her behaviour while others questioned why photographers were crowding a family dealing with a personal loss. Now, Sanjay’s wife, Anuradha Lekhi Gupta, has reacted to the controversy and requested people to understand her children’s pain.
Anuradha addressed the incident through a statement shared by filmmaker Milap Zaveri on Instagram on Monday. She thanked family members, friends, Sanjay’s fans and people from the media for supporting them during this difficult time. She also spoke about the sudden loss and how her children are dealing with their father’s death.
In her statement, Anuradha wrote, “Sanjay suffered a fatal head injury in an accidental fall, which led to his untimely demise. Sanjay loved his family and children immensely. Our children are adolescents who have suddenly lost their beloved father.”
Addressing the viral video, Anuradha explained that her children had grown up away from public attention and were not used to the constant presence of paparazzi. She said the sudden attention at the funeral made them uncomfortable and added to their distress at a time when they were already struggling with their loss.
Explaining her daughter’s reaction, she wrote, “Having grown up away from the glare of the limelight and the intrusive nature of paparazzi culture, they were deeply distressed by the sudden intrusion into their privacy at such a difficult time. In their grief and anguish, some of their reactions may have been directed towards certain members of the media. I sincerely regret any hurt this may have caused.”
She further requested people to look at the incident with understanding instead of judging her children for their actions. Calling their behaviour an expression of grief, Anuradha urged everyone to give them time and space to deal with the loss.
She added, “I humbly request everyone to understand these reactions for what they truly are: the expressions of grieving children struggling to come to terms with an irreparable loss.”
Anuradha also appealed to the public and the media to delete videos or other content that could cause emotional pain to her children in the future. She requested everyone to respect their privacy and allow them to mourn their father’s death without further attention.
Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta died on October 30 at his Mumbai residence after suffering a fatal head injury in an accidental fall. He was 59. According to reports, his family found him the following morning and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Sanjay was known for directing films such as Aatish: Feel The Fire, Kaante, Musafir, Shootout At Lokhandwala, Shootout At Wadala and Kaabil.
