Shah Rukh Khan Bagged ‘Baazigar’ After Salman Khan Rejected It

Mumbai: Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, the leading superstars of Bollywood, came from different backgrounds.

Salman was from a filmy family with his father Salim Khan being a famous screenwriter and producer, but Shah Rukh had no godfather in the industry.

Shah Rukh managed to bag a handful of movies at the beginning of his career, but it was Abbas-Mustan’s 1993 film ‘Baazigar’ which shaped his career.

While movie buffs loved Shah Rukh’s negative role in the film, not many are aware that the actor was not the first choice for ‘Baazigar’, it was none other than SRK’s friend Salman.

Filmmaker Mustan recently revealed in an interview with ETimes that Shah Rukh bagged ‘Baazigar’ after two popular actors rejected it.

“We contacted Anil Kapoor but he said that the subject (of Baazigar) is risky and he will not do it. So, we contacted Salman, but he was doing Rajshri films back then, all family oriented. Salim sahab (Salman’s father) 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,” revealed Mustan.

Mustan went on to share how Shah Rukh reacted after listening to the script.

“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’.”

‘Baazigar’ turned out to be a blockbuster hit and paved the way for Shah Rukh establishing himself as a bankable star.

‘Baazigar’ also featured Kajol and Shilpa Shetty in important roles.