In the 1993 blockbuster Baazigar, instead of Kajol and Shilpa Shetty, Sridevi was first considered to play a double role opposite Shah Rukh Khan.
Abbas-Mustan were told to cast Sridevi in the double role in Baazigar opposite Shah Rukh Khan. The directors refused the idea and went on to cast two new heroines in the film. The 1993 romantic thriller became a blockbuster and changed the careers of Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Shilpa Shetty.
1. When Sridevi was considered to play a double role in Baazigar
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Baazigar was inspired from the 1991 Hollywood film A Kiss Before Dying. The producers Venus Movies wanted Sridevi to play the double role of twin sisters in Baazigar, as Sean Young had done in the American film. However, Abbas-Mustan rejected the idea. Revealing why they did so, the brothers told Komal Nahta in an interview earlier this year, "We said that Shah Rukh is also in a sort-of double role. Although it is one character, but he is playing it like two guys. If the sisters are also in a double role, it will be too confusing for the audience."
2. Baazigar was Kajol's second film and Shilpa Shetty's first film
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Sharing their reason to cast two new actresses, Abbas-Mustan added, "We felt that if we take Sridevi, the audience's sympathy, especially the fans of the actress will be wholly invested in that. They won’t be interested in the film anymore. And they will also be let down that our favourite actress is dead. So we decided to cast a new actress. We thought that when she dies, people will be shocked." And hence, Baazigar proved to be the acting debut of Shilpa Shetty and also just the second film of Kajol.
3. Baazigar was rejected by Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn
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Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Ajay Devgn had rejected Baazigar as the actors thought that the lead hero was a murderous one and had too much negativity in him. The film is considered as the breakthrough role of Shah Rukh Khan, who is now one of the biggest superstars in the world cinema. The Abbas-Mustan directorial was the first of the three anti-heroes characters that Shah Rukh did in his early years. The other two were in Darr and Anjaam.
4. Baazigar at the box office
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Made in Rs 2 crore, Baazigar went on to become a blockbuster as it earned Rs 7.30 crore net in India and Rs 13.90 crore gross worldwide, as per the entertainment tracking portal Sacnilk. The Abbas-Mustan directorial was the fourth highest-grossing film of 1993 behind Aankhen, Khal Nayak, and Darr.
5. Shah Rukh Khan won his first Filmfare Award for Baazigar
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Shah Rukh Khan won his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor for Baazigar. The superstar went on to create a record with the most wins in this category, a total number of eight. He shares the record with the late actor Dilip Kumar, who had also won eight black lady statuettes for Best Actor at Filmfare Awards.
6. Baazigar supporting cast
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Apart from Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Shilpa Shetty, Baazigar also featured Siddharth Ray, Dalip Tahil, Johnny Lever, Raakhee, Anant Mahadevan, Dinesh Hingoo, Adi Irani, and Raju Srivastav in pivotal roles.
