One of Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar's breakthrough films that made them a superstar in Bollywood were the 1993 film Baazigar and the 1992 film Khiladi, respectively. Both these films, directed by Abbas-Mustan, however, would not have fallen into Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar's lap if the Khan brothers hadn't rejected them. For the unversed, Baazigar was first offered to Salman Khan but he rejected the film on his father Salim Khan's advice. Arbaaz Khan, on the other hand, was offered Akshay Kumar's role in Khiladi but he too let go of the chance to star in it.
This information was revealed by none other than the filmmaker duo Abbas and Mustan Burmawalla. About the casting of Khiladi and Baazigar, Indian Express quoted Mustan as saying, "When we wrote the film’s (Khiladi) story, we firstly went to Salim to talk about it because we wanted to cast Arbaaz Khan in the lead role. He listened to the story with Arbaaz but felt that the role wouldn’t suit him. Hence, we asked Akshay for the role."
Arbaaz Khan, in an earlier interview, had also said, "I was approached by the same directors for another film. I couldn’t do it (the film) because I was signed up with another director. The film was Khiladi. I was offered Akshay Kumar’s role. But unfortunately, that other film also didn’t happen."
Speaking about casting for Shah Rukh Khan's breakthrough film Baazigar, the filmmaker duo said, "We contacted Anil Kapoor but he said that this subject is risky and I will not do it. So, we contacted Salman, but he was doing Rajshri films back then, all family-oriented. Salim sahab said that it’s too early for Salman to do these types of films. We lastly went to SRK, and we both gave the narration."
Revealing how Shah Rukh Khan reacted to the script, Mustan said, "Shah Rukh was sitting on the ground while listening to the story and we were on the couch. After we finished, he got up, hugged us, and said, 'Kya kahaani hai, mai karta hoon (What an amazing story, I will do it)'."
If Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan had worked in Baazigar and Khiladi, respectively, things might have shaped up differently for their careers, especially for Arbaaz Khan.
Salman Khan, despite losing out on starring in Baazigar, is a superstar today with an estimated net worth of a whopping Rs 2900 crore. Arbaaz Khan, on the other hand, could not succeed in Bollywood as an actor. He became a director and producer after a string of flop films as an actor.
