Shah Rukh Khan's film "Baazigar" catapulted his career to new heights. But did you know that Akshay, Salman, and Arbaaz were offered the film before Shah Rukh? Following the film's success, he even had a heated argument with Gulshan Grover.

On this day, November 12, 1993, Shah Rukh Khan's film "Baazigar" was released in theaters. This film changed the direction of Shah Rukh's career. In an era when the image of a hero on screen was that of a good man, Shah Rukh chose a character who commits murders one after another. The film was a hit, and overnight Shah Rukh became one of the most talked-about stars.

Baazigar 1993 Shah Rukh Khan (Photo: yt)

But did you know that after the success of "Baazigar," Shah Rukh Khan had a heated argument with an actor so intense that people there feared a physical altercation between the two? This actor was Bollywood's bad man, Gulshan Grover.

Shah Rukh Khan, Gulshan Grover (Photo: X)

Why did Gulshan Grover clash with Shahrukh?

This incident happened at Filmistan Studios. Gulshan Grover was shooting an action scene with Veeru Devgan when Shah Rukh Khan arrived, angrily confronting him. In fact, after the success of "Baazigar," Gulshan Grover had spoken out in a newspaper interview about the film and Shah Rukh's character. He disliked Shah Rukh's portrayal of the villain. He called it a shortcut to popularity, saying, "This is a shortcut to popularity. Nothing more."

Shah Rukh Khan (Photo: X)

When Shah Rukh Khan read this interview, he was offended by Gulshan's remarks. He then went straight to Filmistan Studios. Gulshan Grover recounted this incident in an interview with Mid-Day columnist Mayank Shekhar. According to him, the two had such a heated argument that people present there feared it might escalate into a physical altercation. However, nothing of the sort happened, and the two simply argued and separated.

Darr movie poster (Photo: imdb)

After 'Baazigar', Shah Rukh chose similar roles.

After "Baazigar," Shah Rukh Khan continued his streak of negative roles. He appeared as an obsessive and dangerous lover in "Darr," released about a month after the film . He then played a negative character in "Anjaam," released in 1994. However, during this time, his romantic and innocent portrayal of "Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa" also resonated with audiences. Then, in 1995, "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" solidified Shah Rukh's image as a romantic hero.

Writer Javed Siddiqui

How was the memorable dialogue of 'Baazigar' written?

A dialogue from the film is still on audiences' lips: "Sometimes you have to lose something to win something . " And the one who wins after losing is called a magician. Javed Siddiqui wrote this dialogue. In 2025, when the film completed 32 years, he told Bollywood Hungama how this line was written.

According to Javed Siddiqui, Abbas-Mustan wanted the hero to say something after the race scene that would have two meanings. In other words, he would say one thing and then interpret it differently. Based on this idea, Javed wrote this famous dialogue.

Baazigar Movie Poster (Photo: imdb)

Akshay, Arbaaz and Salman were offered 'Baazigar'

It is said that Abbas-Mustan first offered the role of Ajay Sharma to Akshay Kumar before Shah Rukh Khan. However, Akshay turned down the role due to the negative nature of the character. Subsequently, Salman Khan's younger brother, Arbaaz Khan, was also offered the role, but he too declined to play the villain.

Salman Khan (Photo: Instagram)

Salman Khan was also offered the film, but he feared that playing a negative role so early in his career might damage his image as a hero.

Salman's father, Salim Khan, even placed a condition before Abbas-Mustan. He said Salman would work in the film if a song was added for Rakhi's character, the mother. However, the directors refused. Ultimately, the role went to Shah Rukh Khan, who made it a memorable role in his career.

Kajol Devgan, Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty (Photo: X)

Shilpa Shetty's first film was Baazigar.

Shilpa Shetty made her Bollywood debut with "Baazigar ." Her name was suggested to Abbas-Mustan and producer Ratan Jain by Venus Films. Abbas-Mustan told journalist Patsy N in an interview for Rediff that they wanted a face without a pre-existing film image.

Shilpa Shetty (Photo: X)

The director didn't want the audience to have a preconceived notion about the actress. In the film, Shah Rukh Khan's character throws her off a roof. A familiar face might have drawn audience sympathy and altered the story's impact.

 PC: Prabhat Khabar