“Gupt gupt, voh kya hai, gupt gupt”

Remember how those electronic beats defined the thriller genre in Bollywood, way back in the ’90s? How the visual of Bobby Deol dancing to Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela had us drooling? And how THAT CLIMAX had us screaming out loud (I still remember the gasps that followed after the revelation)?

Gupt: The Hidden Truth released in 1997 and you can’t deny the fact that Bollywood still hasn’t produced a thriller, as good as this one! 

The first time we saw the film, it totally shocked us and 20 years later, we still can’t get over it. 

Unlike today, those weren’t the days of spoilers circulating on social media. One didn’t have to wake up at ungodly hours to watch the latest Game of Thrones episode, just to avoid a spoiler being shared on Twitter.

Back then, you could only watch the film in a theatre and nothing could prepare you beforehand for what you’d be in for. 

No wonder then, when Bobby Deol finally found the identity of the killer (PS: it was Kajol), we were as shocked as him. And who can forget that epic escape from jail through the sewage tunnel! 

Without a doubt, Gupt was a whodunnit Bollywood is yet to outdo! 

The film’s plot progresses in a linear way. There are way too many negative characters introduced to further twist the guessing game. Yet, even with multiple characters, not once do you feel lost in the narrative. 

Director Rajiv Rai takes the viewer through the film in a way that every time Sahil (Bobby Deol) doubts someone, we are convinced he’s the killer. And when he lets them go, we believe that as well. 

Towards the end, after Paresh Rawal’s character confesses to the murders, we’re totally convinced that he’s THE one. But just as you’re about to believe that the film is over, the final bomb drops. And what a bomb that is!

With the big reveal, Kajol sends shivers down your spine!

Throughout the film, she’s the innocent girl, madly in love with Sahil. You just can’t believe that she’s the murderer! 

Though over the years, we’ve seen many femme fatales in Bollywood, few have been able to deliver Kajol’s impact. No wonder she became the first actress to win the Filmfare Award for Best Villain, a category where only male actors had been winning till then. 

Even the music of the film by Viju Shah was out of the box as each track offered something new. 

Be it the theme song Gupt Gupt, the dance number Duniya Haseena Ka Mela or the romantic numbers Mere Khwabon Mein Tu or Mushkil Bada Yeh Pyaar Hai, the sound of his music was catchy and different. 

You can’t doubt the man who once gave the iconic beats of Tip Tip Barsa Paani, for God’s sake!

Gupt was one of those films that keeps you glued till the end and gives out a gratifying climax. 

The mystery of the locket that leads to the truth, the daggers that belong to a set and a lover who could kill, Gupt essentially had everything that a good thriller needs.

Mock Bobby Deol all you want but you can’t take away Gupt from him.