MUMBAI: Director Sanjay Gupta brought in his birthday on 14 April, 2007 with the release of the music of his latest film venture, Shootout at Lokhandwala.

The album was released by veteran actors and producers Rakesh Roshan and Jeetendra. The event also marked the formal beginning of an association between Gupta and Balaji Telefilms.

Shootout At Lokhandwala has been inspired by a real incident that took place in the Mumbai suburb in 1991. Viveik Oberoi, Tusshar Kapoor, Rohit Roy and Shabbir Ahluwalia, who play underworld goons in the film, came dressed as the characters, and performed to the film’s songs at the event.

The evening’s invitees were also given a sneak peek into Gupta’s next production, Woodstock Villa. Actors of the movie Sikander Khan and Neha Uberoi also performed to the songs of this film during the occasion. Woodstock Villa has been directed by Hansal Mehta. The name of this film, says the producer, has been borrowed from the name of the building in which Gupta resides.  

Rock bands Strings, Euphoria, Aryan and singers Shibani Kashyap and debutant Aanchal Gupta also performed at the event while Isha Koppikar, Koena Mitra and Arti Chabbria sizzled on stage as they danced to their item songs from Kaante, Musafir and Shootout at Lokhandwala.

Reminiscing about the early days of his company White Feather Films, Gupta said, “Seven years ago, the launch party of White Feather Films was a private affair with friends and family. Over the years, we have built strong brands and today we are celebrating our association with Balaji Telefilms.”

What’s more, sources close to the development say that both companies have tied up for a Rs 1200 million (Rs 120 crore) deal. Shootout At Lokhandwala is the first film to roll out under the joint banner. This film will be followed by Dus Kahaniyan and Woodstock Villa.

Also present on the occasion were actors Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Arjun Rampal, Dino Morea, Sanjay Suri, Aftab Shivdasani, Arbaaz Khan, Rohit Roy, music director Anand Raaj Anand, producer Ekta Kapoor and director Apoorva Lakhia.