Kajol on playing the obsessive lover-turned-serial killer in Gupt: It was gutsy at that time to do it

Kajol admits that taking on the role of an obsessive lover-turned-serial killer in Gupt: The Hidden Truth was a "gutsy" decision. She calls it a twist that no one saw coming.

Gupt, regarded as one of the best thrillers in Hindi film history, celebrated its 25th anniversary last week. The 1997 movie, which was directed by Rajiv Rai, also starred Bobby Deol and Manisha Koirala in the key roles. With the aid of his lover Isha (Kajol) and his friend Sheetal (Koirala), Gupt pursued Sahil (Deol), who was charged with the murder of his stepfather (Raj Babbar), as he escaped from prison in an effort to prove his innocence.

Kajol stated in an interview with PTI that the film's shock factor, the character, and the fact that no one saw it coming all contributed to its success. At the time, doing it took guts, and she was mostly motivated to participate by the story and her role in it.

Gupt was a complete package with lyrics by Anand Bakshi and precise writing by Rai and Shabbir Boxwala. It also had outstanding performances from the actors.

Because Rai's father, producer Gulshan Rai, and her father, filmmaker Shomu Mukherjee, were friends, she was thrilled when the director arrived for the narration of Gupt.

The 47-year-old actor said that she may have been a little anxious since he wasn't sure if she would agree to make the movie. He was perspiring a lot while sitting still for a two-hour narrative. However, Tanisha and she both said that she had to do this film by the time the narration was over. There was no denying that it was ideal for me.

When she won the Filmfare Award for finest performance in a negative part for Gupt, Kajol, who had previously been recognised for her goody-two-shoes roles in movies like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Baazigar, and Yeh Dillagi, became the first female actor to do so.

But she claimed that the compliments of her mother and seasoned actor Tanuja were particularly meaningful to her. Kajol's mother once told her, "Oh my God, what a film!" And that is the highest compliment she can receive, given how little her mother enjoys her films; she would rather see her perform.

According to the actor, it's challenging to duplicate Gupt's success in the era of streamers. Additionally, there wasn't anything else in terms of media at the time. Kajol also said that because we lacked social media and other forms of entertainment, a huge movie would undoubtedly be a hit. Therefore, it was much simpler back then for a movie to do 25 weeks or a golden jubilee. These days, using a big screen is extremely competitive.

Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Prem Chopra, Dalip Tahil, Priya Tendulkar, and Harsh Lunia were among the other actors that appeared in Gupt.