More than two decades after the release of the horror film Bhoot, director Ram Gopal Varma has revealed an eerie detail about the movie’s filming location: The apartment where much of the film was shot has reportedly remained vacant since 2002.
Speaking during a special screening of Bhoot at the Red Lorry Film Festival 2026 in Mumbai, Varma shared that potential residents have repeatedly declined to move into the flat, which is located in the Lokhandwala Complex. According to the filmmaker, the apartment became widely known after the film’s release, and no one has been willing to occupy it since production wrapped more than 20 years ago.
Why was Bhoot filmed inside an apartment?
Varma explained that the decision to shoot the film in an apartment building rather than a bungalow was deliberate. Since the story was set in Mumbai, he believed using a typical residential flat would make the horror feel more grounded and relatable to audiences.
The film, starring Ajay Devgn and Urmila Matondkar, follows a married couple who move into a seemingly ordinary flat that later reveals a disturbing supernatural presence.
How quickly was the film made?
The director also disclosed that a large portion of the film was shot within a single apartment over a period of just 30 days. Varma said he was able to complete the production swiftly because most scenes were contained within one location.
“It’s been more than 20 years and even today that flat is still vacant,” Varma told the audience, adding that the building gained notoriety after the film’s release.
What else did Varma reveal about the casting?
Varma also spoke about his decision to cast Matondkar in the lead role. He said a particular close-up expression from the song “Hai Rama” in his earlier film Rangeela convinced him she could portray the intense emotional shifts required for Bhoot.
The film’s supporting cast included Nana Patekar, Rekha, Fardeen Khan and Tanuja. After the original film’s success, Varma directed the sequel Bhoot Returns in 2012, starring Manisha Koirala.
Varma has also directed several other horror titles, including Raat, Phoonk and Phoonk 2. During the festival appearance, he additionally revealed that production on Sarkar 4 — the political crime franchise that began with the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer — is expected to begin soon.
