Gupt was one of the biggest hits of 1997. It was a lavishly mounted film and directed by Rajiv Rai. Gupt starred Bobby Deol, Manisha Koirala and Kajol in the main roles.
The film worked because of the gripping and taut screenplay as well as the unusual climax. Saahil (Bobby Deol) is the son of the Governor (Raj Babbar) who is murdered in mysterious circumstances that point to a political conspiracy to murder. The link to solving this lingering mystery is the locket that Saahil recovers from the murder scene. Falsely accused of murder, Saahil must now fight to clear his name and solve the mystery of the locket. This is the hidden secret which is the tagline of the film. On his trail is Inspector Uddham Singh (Om Puri) in a brilliant role. The film has political overtones but is basically a love triangle. The identity of the murderer is a real shocker.
Gupt relies on the actions and interactions of the three main characters to weave magic and intrigue - Bobby, Kajol and Manisha. Bobby impresses in only his second outing after Barsaat and performs well especially in the few action scenes.
Manisha Koirala plays an extremely glamourous character and displays ample cleavage especially during the songs. Much of her costumes highlight her twin assets very nicely and they appear a very prominent part of her figure. She is however a good actress and lends good support to Bobby Deol especially towards the climax.
Kajol like Manisha is also very skimpilly dressed. Most of the time she appears in tight shorts and miniskirts and reveals more than she has ever done for any other film. One camera shot even reveals her panty beneath her miniskirt. Regarding her acting. she is less prominent in the beginning and assumes prominence towards the end when the audience gets to know her true motivations and character. Her performance towards the climax shows the hallmarks of a great actress and for this she deserves true credit.
The other actor who deserves mention in this love triangle is Om Puri as Inspector Uddham Singh. The character that he plays is a true livewire. Although Om only appears in the second half, his role has more life in it than Bobby’s role. Puri’s dialogues are catchy and witty at the same time and he excels above all others in this enterprise. Now wonder that Puri was seen soon after Gupt in such stereotypical inspector film roles as Indian.
Direction by Rajiv Rai is excellent. As the writer, he introduces many red herrings such as Prem Chopra and Shahrd Saxena into the plot to deceive the audience into thinking that this is a political murder. He also keeps the pace of the film tight and fluid as the editor. The cinematography is eye-catching and Gupt features some of the best locales ever filmed.
The music by Viju Shah is excellent. Almost all the songs are pleasing to the ear and the picturisations are just splendid. Howver, the film did not need that many songs as this was not a musical thriller like Vijay Anand’s Teesri Manzil.
Gupt is a classic suspense thriller that promises edge of the seat entertainment. Gupt is also one of the few Hindi films that have come close to cracking the Bollywood formula masala. A definite must-see and highly recommended. Don’t miss it!