In a surprising turn of events, Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic portrayal of a revenge-seeking loverboy in ‘Baazigar’ almost didn’t happen. While Khan’s performance in the film is hailed as one of his best to date and is credited with changing the course of his career, he wasn’t the filmmakers’ first choice for the role.
Directors Abbas and Mustan initially approached Anil Kapoor for the lead role in ‘Baazigar’. Recounting the incident in an interview with Komal Nahta, the filmmakers revealed, “When we were ready with the story of Baazigar, we first went to Anil Kapoor. He was shooting for ‘Roop Ki Rani Choro Ki Raja’ at the time and he said this subject is too risky. He said it’s good but I won’t do it. He refused politely.”
Following Kapoor’s refusal, the filmmakers considered casting Salman Khan. However, it was Salman’s father and renowned writer Salim Khan who advised against the project. Abbas and Mustan shared, “Ratan Jain got in touch with Salman but Salman was doing Rajshri’s films at the time. It was all family-oriented stuff. Salim saab told us that it’s too early for Salman to take this up.”
Fortuitously, fate intervened when Shah Rukh Khan, who had previously praised Abbas-Mustan’s film ‘Khiladi’, crossed paths with the filmmakers. “He told us that if you have some other film like ‘Khiladi’, let me know. We contacted him then,” said the directors. Khan quickly agreed to the role, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The film, released in 1993, went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year and has since achieved cult status in Indian cinema.