Sanjay Gadhvi, Dhoom and Dhoom 2 Director, Dies at 56 –

Director Sanjay Gadhvi died on Sunday, November 19, in Mumbai. The filmmaker had helmed Dhoom (2004) and Dhoom 2 (2006). It is reported that he was 56 and was set to turn 57 in three days. The news was confirmed by his daughter, Sanjina Gadhvi. “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,” she told PTI.

The filmmaker is survived by his wife Gina and daughters. Sanjina is the elder one. Director Kunal Kohli was one of the first Bollywood celebrities who reacted to his death. Taking to X (previously known as Twitter), the filmmaker wrote, “This is beyond shocking. #SanjayGadhvi RIP never thought I’d have to write your obituary. Shared an office for many years at YRF, lunch dubbas, discussions. Will miss you my friend. This is too hard to accept.”

Who was Sanjay Gadhvi?

Sanjay Gadhvi had his directorial debut in 2000 with the film Tere Liye. The film starred new age actors and did not fair well at the box office. He then left a mark with his film, Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (2002). The Yash Raj Films movie starred Uday Chopra, Tulip Joshi (in her debut), Jimmy Sheirgill and Bipasha Basu. Although it wasn’t as commercially successful as other YRF films, the movie did cause a lot of chatter. However, Gadhvi became a household name when he kicked off the Dhoom series.

In 2004, he released Dhoom with John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra and it was a massive blockbuster. He returned with Dhoom 2 in 2006 with Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra and Rimi Sen, and this time around, he had Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai and Bipasha Basu join the cast. The film was a bigger hit than Dhoom. However, he did not return for Dhoom 3.

He went to helm movies like Kidnap, headlined by Imran Khan, and took a break after he released Ajab Gazabb Love in 2012. He made a comeback in 2020 with Operation Parindey, which marked his last project.