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Ayush Srivastava
Ayush Srivastava is a seasoned Sub Editor at India.com (Zee Media), where he specializes in the high-octane world of global entertainment. With more than four years of experience in the media industry ... Read More
There was a suspense thriller from the 90s that changed the game for mystery films in Bollywood. With its gripping storyline, unexpected twists, and intense performances, it became one of the most iconic whodunits in Indian cinema. But behind its massive success was a surprising moment involving a Bollywood megastar who questioned the faith behind the film’s making.
Here we are talking about Gupt, released in 1997, directed by Rajiv Rai. The film starred Bobby Deol, Manisha Koirala, and Kajol, and turned out to be a box office blockbuster. Made on a modest budget of Rs 9 crore, the film collected around Rs 33 crore, a huge figure for that time. But before its release, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan asked director Rajiv Rai, “How can you trust a suspense film to work at the box office?” He was referring to the fact that Indian audiences had rarely embraced the suspense genre as wholeheartedly in the past.
Rajiv Rai, however, remained confident in his storytelling and star cast. His faith paid off as Gupt received immense praise for its unpredictable climax, especially Kajol’s villainous turn, which shocked the audience. The film became a trendsetter and was even appreciated for its music, composed by Viju Shah, with songs like “Mushkil Bada Yeh Pyaar Hai”, Duniya Haseenon Ka Mela” and “Gupt Gupt” topping the charts.
Rajiv Rai said in one of his candid conversations that he met director Anees Bazmee and he prepared a script for Amitabh Bachchan, but when he narrated the script to him, he was not interested in it. He said, “I don’t want to do any film in the phase I am going through. He was not going through a good phase at that time,” he recalled and further said, “He was confused, and in this confusion he refused, he was not confused, but his circumstances were like this.” Although Rajiv was confident that Amitabh would say yes, Amitabh refused, and at that time my heart my shattered.
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