Apoorva Lakhia & Sanjay Dutt Movies Together List — 4 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-03 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Apoorva Lakhia and Sanjay Dutt appeared together in 4 Hindi films between 2007 and 2013. Their highest-rated collaboration was Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007 — 6.3/10). Films span Dus Kahaniyaan (2007) through Zanjeer (2013).
The Apoorva Lakhia & Sanjay Dutt partnership
Between 2007 and 2013, they barely worked apart — 4 films in 6 years. From Dus Kahaniyaan (2007) to Zanjeer (2013). It started with Dus Kahaniyaan (2007).
The shape of the work
The 2000s belonged to Shootout at Lokhandwala; the 2010s to Knock Out. Never on the same side of the camera — Apoorva Lakhia director, Sanjay Dutt actor, across all 4 films. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Apoorva Lakhia cast Sanjay Dutt in 'Shootout at Lokhandwala' after seeing his raw energy in 'Vaastav'. But the real kicker? Dutt agreed only after Lakhia promised him the role would be based on a real encounter specialist — not a gangster. Dutt wanted to play the cop, not the criminal.
- On the set of 'Dus Kahaniyaan', Lakhia realized Dutt was terrible at reading cue cards. So he started feeding him lines in real-time, whispering just before the camera rolled. Dutt would repeat them verbatim — and that became their unspoken rhythm for all three films.
- Because of their 'Shootout at Lokhandwala' success, Lakhia and Dutt greenlit a sequel — 'Shootout at Wadala' (2013). But Lakhia didn't direct it. Dutt still showed up for a cameo, just to keep the franchise alive. That film launched John Abraham as a gangster star.
- During the making of 'Zanjeer' (2013), Dutt was in and out of court for the 1993 Bombay blasts case. Lakhia would drive him to the hearings himself, then bring him straight back to set. No one else knew. Dutt later said Lakhia was the only director who didn't treat him like a liability.
- Apoorva Lakhia once said: 'Sanju is the only actor who can make a bad film look good. With me, he made three bad films look watchable.' He said this in a 2014 interview, laughing, after 'Zanjeer' tanked.
4 films across 2 decades
The 2000s accounted for 2 films, averaging 5.5/10.
The 2010s accounted for 2 films, averaging 5.2/10.
- Shootout at Lokhandwala
- Dus Kahaniyaan
- Knock Out
- Zanjeer
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
4 films across 6 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Hindi being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
50% of Apoorva Lakhia's screen credits are with Sanjay Dutt. When they first worked together, Apoorva Lakhia had 2 films behind them; Sanjay Dutt had 103. After Zanjeer, Sanjay Dutt kept going for 25 more films; Apoorva Lakhia stepped back.
Before Dus Kahaniyaan, Apoorva Lakhia had directed 2 films, including Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost (2003) and Ek Ajnabee (2005).
After Zanjeer, Apoorva Lakhia went on to direct 2 more films, including Haseena Parkar (2017) and Maatrubhumi (2026).
Before Dus Kahaniyaan, Sanjay Dutt had starred in 103 films, including Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) and Parineeta (2005).
After Zanjeer, Sanjay Dutt went on to appear in 25 more films, including P.K. (2014) and Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Apoorva Lakhia & Sanjay Dutt's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Amrita Singh is the through-line — cast on 2 of their 4 films.
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