Baazigar was a turning point in Shah Rukh Khan’s career and in Bollywood storytelling. The 1993 thriller dared to cast SRK as a morally complex anti-hero at a time when clean-cut heroes dominated the silver screen. Now, decades later, the film’s directors Abbas-Mustan, in an interview with Lucky Bisht, have revealed that the original script was even bolder—with a darker plot and a completely different ending that had Kajol’s character delivering justice by killing SRK’s.
A Risky Move for Its Time
Abbas-Mustan admitted that Baazigar’s concept was quite unconventional for its time. While many saw Shah Rukh Khan’s character as a villain, the directors always viewed him as the film’s hero. Mustan explained that although the character had a dark side, his actions were driven by a deeper motive. According to them, when a negative character is given emotional depth or a justifiable reason for their behavior, the audience is more likely to empathize with them — which is exactly what they aimed for with SRK’s role.
The Original Ending
Mustan also revealed that the original draft of Baazigar was significantly darker than the final version. In that version, Shah Rukh Khan’s character was portrayed as entirely negative—shaped by a traumatic childhood involving an abusive, alcoholic father. Driven by a desire to become rich, he manipulates his way into relationships with both daughters of a wealthy businessman, ultimately killing one of them to gain control over the family’s fortune. The twist in that early draft? The second daughter discovers his true intentions and ends up killing him, bringing the story full circle with her act of justice.
From Thriller to Emotional Drama
Mustan further shared that while the original draft leaned heavily into a dark, thriller tone, they later drew inspiration from iconic filmmakers like Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra, who emphasized emotional storytelling. Realizing that the film needed a deeper emotional core to resonate with audiences, they reworked the script to give Shah Rukh Khan’s character a strong backstory. This included his bond with his mother, the trauma of his father’s death, and the loss of his younger sister. Mustan revealed they approached the producer to explain the shift in the storyline and asked for additional time to craft a more emotionally engaging screenplay. In his words, it was the emotional depth—and not just the suspense—that became Baazigar’s most crucial element.Baazigar follows Shah Rukh’s character as he seeks revenge against businessman Madan Chopra for ruining his family. Posing under a false identity, he dates Chopra’s daughters, kills one, and later falls for the other. The film ends with Ajay’s death in a violent confrontation.
