Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Baazigar bad guy that turned Shah Rukh Khan into a big star

Fun facts about the classic movie to mark its 30th anniversary

Baazigar bad guy that turned Shah Rukh Khan into a big star

ALTHOUGH Shah Rukh Khan made his Bollywood debut in 1992, it was his 1993 release Baazigar, which gained him big global attention.

His dastardly portrayal of a duplicitous individual, who goes on a murderous revenge mission, kick-started a rapid rise to the very top of Hindi cinema for the actor. It also showed that he was a new kind of leading man, who was willing to do things differently and play a negative role. That is why this film will be celebrated by his global fanbase on its 30th anniversary on November 12.


 Eastern Eye decided to mark three decades of the movie with 30 fun facts connected to it.

  1.  Baazigar was an unofficial remake of Hollywood film A Kiss Before Dying (1991), which itself was an adaptation of a 1953 novel of the same name. There had also been a 1956 American movie with the same title.

    Lead Baazigar cOrQM Scenes from the film

  2. Years later, actor Deepak Tijori alleged that he had originally shown the Hollywood film to directing duo Abbas-Mustan and producer Pahlaj Nihalani in the hope they would make it with him in the lead role. They were impressed with the subject but opted to produce the movie without him.
  3. A number of actors including Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor turned down the lead role because the character was villainous.
  4. Abbas-Mustan wanted the writers to narrate the story to Shah Rukh Khan, but he insisted the duo do it themselves. They said: “When we finished, we expected him to say the usual, ‘I’ll think about it and let you know in two days.’ But he jumped up and said, ‘I’m doing the film’ and started showing us how he would enact certain scenes.”
  5. The mother track in the story with Rakhee was introduced later into the movie to add extra emotion and sympathy for the villainous protagonist. AbbasMustan had said: “If the mother-son relationship is explored and justified properly on screen then it definitely strikes a chord with audiences. If a son is taking revenge for his mother, then his everything is forgiven. And it worked well with the audience.”

    Lead 25.Baazigar 9d copy Another promo image

  6. Shooting for Baazigar was supposed to commence in full shortly after the launch in December 1992, but Mumbai communal riots caused by the Babri Masjid destruction prevented that from happening.
  7. The film finally started shooting in March 1993 and wrapped up by May-June. It was supposed to be in cinemas for July, but was finally released later that year in November.
  8. Although Shah Rukh Khan had got noticed with 1992 films like Deewana and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Baazigar became the big turning point in his career and put him on the radar of bigger banners.
  9. Baazigar was the first film starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. They would go onto act together in record breaking films like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998).
  10. The directors initially considered casting Sridevi in a double role, before opting for newcomers Shilpa Shetty and Kajol to play the sisters.
  11. Ayesha Jhulka had starred in AbbasMustan hit film Khiladi (1992) and was approached for Kajol’s role, but she declined it.
  12. Juhi Chawla turned down the role that was played by Shetty because she didn’t think it was substantial enough. Madhuri Dixit also declined the same role and so did Madhoo, who said, “I didn’t do Baazigar because I was doing some other movie”.

    Lead Baazigar RI  1 Shah Rukh Khan withKajol and Shilpa Shetty in a promo image of Baazigar.


  13. Siddharth Ray, who played the key police inspector role was the grandson of filmmaking legend V Shantaram. He sadly died in 2004 aged just 40.
  14. Shetty made her debut in the film and signed for it without auditioning. The actress would have cosmetic surgery after the movie and appeared in her next film with a different looking nose.
  15. Shetty revealed that her first shot was for the song Ae Mere Humsafar and said Shah Rukh Khan taught her about how to face the camera.
  16. Musician Daboo Mallik, who is the father of popular music stars Armaan Malik and Amaan Mallik, played a small role in the movie.
  17. Two endings for Baazigar were filmed, including one where Shah Rukh Khan’s character is arrested. But they opted for the more dramatic one where both he and the villain die.
  18. In another version, Priya (Kajol) was supposed to kill Ajay (Khan), like in the original plot, but they opted not to use it.
  19. The famous Shah Rukh Khan contact lens scene was inspired by something similar that happened in classic movie Satte Pe Satta (1992), with Amitabh Bachchan.
  20. Most of the comedy by Johnny Lever was improvised in the film. Shah Rukh Khan also improvised scenes to add more intensity to his role.
  21. Many years later, Gauri Khan revealed that she had designed her husband Shah Rukh Khan’s eyecatching look in the song Ye Kaali Kaali Aankhen.
  22. A lot of musicians and DJs have sampled the Baazigar song Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen, including M.I.A on her Matangi Mixtape.
  23. The song Saamajh Kar Chaand was filmed, but edited out of the final cut because the directing duo felt the film was too long.
  24. With over 10 million units sold, Baazigar became one of the bestselling soundtracks of 1993.
  25. There was a 1990 magazine promotional image of the film Jurm that featured Vinod Khanna wearing sunglasses, with a picture of Meenakshi Sheshadri on one lens and Sangeeta Bijlani on the other. The idea was recreated for the Baazigar poster with Shah Rukh Khan, Shetty, and Kajol. The same concept would later be used in some Hollywood films.
  26. The romantic thriller was released 42 days before blockbuster hit Darr, which was the second movie to see Shah Rukh Khan successfully play a villainous role.
  27. Despite obviously being inspired by A Kiss Before Dying, Robin Bhatt, Aakash Khurana and Javed Siddiqui won a Filmfare Best Screenplay award for Baazigar.
  28. The movie also won Filmfare awards for best actor (Shah Rukh Khan), best male playback singer (Kumar Sanu for Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen) and best music director (Anu Malik).
  29. Baazigar became the fourth highest grossing film of 1993 after Aankhen, Khalnayak and third placed Darr.
  30. Baazigar was later remade in Telugu as Vetagadu (1995), in Tamil as Samrat (1997) and as Kannada film Nagarahavu (2002).

More For You

Nitin Ganatra art exhibition

Through abstract forms, bold colour, and layered compositions

thelax.art

Nitin Ganatra debuts first solo art exhibition in London’s Soho

Highlights:

  • Fragments of Belonging is Nitin Ganatra’s first solo exhibition
  • Opens Saturday, September 27, at London Art Exchange in Soho Square
  • Show explores themes of memory, displacement, identity, and reinvention
  • Runs from 3:30 PM to 9:00 PM, doors open at 3:15 PM

From screen to canvas

Actor Nitin Ganatra, known for his roles in EastEnders, Bride & Prejudice, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is embarking on a new artistic chapter with his debut solo exhibition.

Titled Fragments of Belonging, the show marks his transition from performance to painting, presenting a deeply personal series of works at the London Art Exchange in Soho Square on September 27.

Keep ReadingShow less
familie

£1 tickets available for families receiving Universal Credit

HRP

Peter Rabbit brings Beatrix Potter’s tales to life at Hampton Court this summer

Highlights:

  • The Peter Rabbit™ Adventure runs at Hampton Court Palace from 25 July to 7 September 2025
  • Trail includes interactive games, riddles and character encounters across the gardens
  • Children can meet a larger-than-life Peter Rabbit in the Kitchen Garden
  • Special themed menu items available at the Tiltyard Café
  • £1 tickets available for families receiving Universal Credit and other benefits

Peter Rabbit comes to life at Hampton Court

This summer, families visiting Hampton Court Palace can step into the world of Beatrix Potter as The Peter Rabbit™ Adventure takes over the palace gardens from 25 July to 7 September 2025.

Peter Rabbit Explore the Kitchen Garden, Tiltyard and WildernessHRP

Keep ReadingShow less
Gary Lineker

The former Match of the Day presenter was voted best TV presenter by viewers at the ceremony on Wednesday

Getty Images

Gary Lineker breaks Ant and Dec’s 23-year run at National Television Awards

Highlights:

  • Gary Lineker named best TV presenter, breaking Ant and Dec’s 23-year run
  • Former Match of the Day host left BBC after social media controversies
  • Netflix drama Adolescence wins two awards, including best drama performance for 15-year-old Owen Cooper
  • Gavin & Stacey takes home the comedy award
  • I’m a Celebrity wins in the reality competition category

Lineker takes presenter prize after BBC departure

Gary Lineker has ended Ant and Dec’s record 23-year winning streak at the National Television Awards (NTAs). The former Match of the Day presenter was voted best TV presenter by viewers at the ceremony on Wednesday.

Lineker stepped down from Match of the Day in May after 26 years, following controversy around his social media posts. Accepting the award, he thanked colleagues and said the prize showed “it is OK to use your platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice.” He added: “It’s not lost on me why I might have won this award.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Arundhati Roy
UN human rights office urges India to drop cases against Arundhati Roy
AFP via Getty Images

Arundhati Roy’s memoir on growing up in mother’s shadow

ARUNDHATI ROY’S forthcoming memoir, Mother Mary Comes To Me, is about the author’s close but fraught relationship with her mother, Mary Roy, whose death in 2022 her daughter has likened to “being hit by a truck”.

Mary Roy, who insisted her children call her “Mrs Roy” in school, belonged to the Syrian Christian community. She does not seem a very nice person.

Keep ReadingShow less