Sanjay Gupta's wife urges people to excuse daughter after she showed middle finger to paparazzi, calls it 'expressions of grieving children’ | Bollywood

Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta died at the age of 59 after suffering a fatal head injury in an accidental fall at his home in Versova, Mumbai. Hours after his death, a video from his funeral surfaced online, showing his daughter, Dalai, giving the middle finger to paparazzi waiting outside. Now, the filmmaker's wife, Anuradha Lekhi Gupta, has addressed the viral video.Sanjay Gupta's wife addresses daughter Dalai's viral videoAt the funeral, as the family was preparing to leave, Sanjay's daughter was seen sitting in the front seat of the car, covering her face with her jacket as paparazzi gathered around the vehicle. She was soon seen showing them the middle finger before briefly smiling and covering her face again. The video drew mixed reactions online, with some users criticising her gesture while others urged the paparazzi to give the grieving family space and respect their privacy. On Monday, filmmaker Milap Zaveri took to Instagram and shared a post by Anuradha Lekhi Gupta, which read, "A part of our lives has been lost forever, and nothing can ever fill the void or make up for this loss. On behalf of our family, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to all our family members, friends, Sanjay's fans and our friends in the media for the love, condolences and strength you have extended to us during this difficult time. 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." She further addressed the criticism surrounding her daughter, Dalai, and the viral video. 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.” Anuradha also issued an appeal, urging people to be sensitive towards her children's emotional state. 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. I request you to kindly excuse them, and appeal to everyone to delete any content that may leave lasting emotional scars on their young minds. Please allow them the privacy, compassion and space they need to grieve the loss of their father."About Sanjay Gupta's deathFilmmaker Sanjay Gupta, best known for directing films such as Kaante, Shootout at Lokhandwala, Shootout at Wadala and Kaabil, died on October 30 at his Mumbai residence. He was 59. Sanjay suffered a fatal head injury after accidentally falling at his home. His family discovered him the following morning and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead. His sudden demise has left the film industry shocked, with several actors and filmmakers mourning his loss.