Directed by Abbas-Mustan, the 1993 romantic action thriller Baazigar starred Shah Rukh Khan as Ajay Sharma aka Vicky Malhotra and Kajol in the leading roles. It marked the debut of Shilpa Shetty and also starred Siddharth Ray, Dilip Tahil, Johnny Lever, Raakhee, and Anant Mahadevan among others in the leading roles.
The film, released on the occasion of Diwali in November 1993, is considered as the breakthrough role for Shah Rukh Khan as this was his first anti-hero character. He later went on to do villainous roles in Yash Chopra-directed Darr and Rahul Rawal-directed Anjaam, which hit theatres in December 1993 and April 1994, respectively.
Before Shah Rukh was finalised by Abbas-Mustan to play the lead role, they approached several other actors. After Khiladi's success in 1992, the directors wanted to repeat their collaboration with Akshay Kumar but he turned down the film saying that the role had too much negativity in him. The brothers then went to Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor, who both rejected the film due to the same reason that the role was a murderous one and too dark. As per reports, the makers also asked Ajay Devgn, who declined the film in anticipation that they would offer him a higher price, but that never happened.
When Baazigar hit the theatres, it went on to become a blockbuster. Made in Rs 4 crore, the film earned eight times its budget and grossed Rs 32 crore worldwide. Its engrossing screenplay, impactful performances, and chartbuster songs such as Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein, Baazigar O Baazigar, and Kitabein Bahut Si, were the primary reasons behind its success.
A poster of Baazigar
Baazigar was the first film that marked the collaboration of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. This pairing became so iconic that the actors were seen together in multiple hits such as Karan Arjun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, My Name Is Khan, and Dilwale.
The Abbas-Mustan directorial was also the first film for which Shah Rukh Khan won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. The superstar went on to create a record with the most wins in this category, a total number of eight. He has also lifted the Filmfare Black Lady statuette for Best Actor for Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota, Hai, Devdas, Swades, Chak De India, and My Name Is Khan.
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