Baazigar

Baazigar review :

A huge gamble for then rising star Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) who dared to play the titular anti-hero role rejected by his peers Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar; Baazigar became an instant box office hit and catapulted SRK in to the top league.

Anu Malik's melodious score and Abbas -Mustan's slick direction deserve due credit but Baazigar was all about SRK and the fantastic way in which he portrayed the dual characters - one a scheming lover who bumps off Shilpa Shetty in an iconic scene and second, her sister Kajol's supposedly sympathetic boyfriend. The twist in the tale comes from a missing contact lens which makes for an exhilarating scene where SRK frantically searches for it in the wash basin to avoid being caught!!!

Another fave scene of mine is where he sits on the CEO chair with legs on the table after being newly appointed to lead the business conglomerate of his enemy Dalip Tahil and SRK's expressions in it are just fantastic!!

Despite playing the anti-hero, the audience sympathy goes with SRK once we get to know his tragic backstory with Rakhee playing his maa much before Karan Arjun (1995).

Baazigar not just established SRK but also started his much loved pairing with Kajol - they spell magic together in the 'Baazigar o baazigar' and 'Yeh kaali kaali aankhen' song which became chartbusters.

Released in Diwali 1993 at Dreamland Cinema, Mumbai, the film became a silver jubilee hit and paved the way for Yash Chopra's Darr (1993) another hit with SRK as the villain. Both, Baazigar and Darr, are one of SRK's finest performances and a befitting reward for taking such a huge risk at the beginning of his career. Real life Baazigar, indeed!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni