Released in 1997, Gupt surprised viewers with its twist, minted money, and went on to cement its lead cast’s popularity, including actor Bobby Deol’s. No surprise then that the film, which clocks 25 years today, remains special to him. His co-star, Kajol, was the film’s villain, a reveal nobody saw coming. Ask if he was apprehensive knowing she’d walk away with the most attention, and he says, “I never thought of things like ‘the heroine has a stronger role than me’.”

Recalling his fun experience with the film, he says, “I danced so much for the first time, the action was amazing. Those kinds of subjects had never been made.”

The movie’s songs, especially Duniya Haseenon Ka Mela and Gupt Gupt, were a rage. And the makers didn’t leave any stone unturned to capitalize on it. Deol reveals how director Rajiv Rai came up with a promotional strategy which he claims no one before, and after Gupt, has emulated. “He booked a music channel, and for 24 hours, it had no other film ads or commercials. Only our songs played,” shares Deol, 53.

A lot of sweat, literally, went into shooting for the songs, as he recalls, “There was no air conditioning in studios then. I had to rehearse so much to get the steps of Duniya Haseenon Ka Mela right, and I’d be drenched in sweat by the end of it, causing visible patches. I changed eight-nine pairs of jeans for that track.”

He also shares how his famous dance steps came about: “I broke my leg shooting for Barsaat (1995), and did Gupt immediately after that. So, choreographers Chinni and Rekha Prakash ji came up with the hand movements, which became popular as ‘Bobby Deol’s style’!”