Koena Mitra mourns director Sanjay Gupta, her Musafir mentor

Koena Mitra says 'industry has lost a visionary' as she mourns the loss of her 'mentor' Sanjay Gupta

Mumbai, Oct 31

Koena gave a memorable performance in the "O Saki Saki" track of the action entertainer.

Recalling her experience of working with the director, she remembered him being extremely 'passionate' and 'demanding'.

She wrote on her Insta, "A magician behind the camera, a maverick with a vision, and a man who lived every moment with an almost childlike enthusiasm. That infectious childlike smile, those adorable tantrums, his pro-max passion for absolutely everything he did, his ultra-fashionable sensibilities and that uncompromising eye for perfection. Demanding, yes, sometimes impossibly so, but every demand had a purpose. He pushed you, challenged you and somehow made everything around him better.

We shared a film, laughter, madness and some wonderful moments that I will cherish forever. (sic)"

"It's heartbreaking to think that someone so full of life, so passionate and so incredibly gifted is gone at just 57", she added.

Koena said that with the demise of Sanjay Gupta, the film industry has lost a visionary and she has lost a mentor, a friend and someone who will always be a very special part of her journey.

"I wish I could hear that voice, see that smile and witness one more of those passionate outbursts. Some goodbyes are simply too difficult to accept. And this is one I am not ready for", she wrote with a heavy heart.

Expressing her gratitude for showing faith in her and helping her make her way into the B-town, she shared, "Fly high, Sanjay. Thank you for believing in me, for giving me my Bollywood beginning, and for being unapologetically YOU."

Paying her final tribute to the director, Koena concluded, "You may be gone, but the magic you created, the memories we shared and the mark you left on my life will remain forever. Rest in peace, my dear Gups, You will be missed beyond words."

— IANS