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In a surprising twist Baazigar directors Abbas-Mustan have revealed that the cult classic’s initial script had a very different climax; Kajol’s character was meant to kill Shah Rukh Khan’s Ajay. Yes the same SRK who turned anti-heroism into Bollywood gold was originally written off by his co-star. “We didn’t want to show Shah Rukh as a villain. He was a hero seeking justice” the director duo recently shared opening up about how the now-iconic character of Ajay Sharma evolved from a full-blown villain into a more layered emotionally charged anti-hero. What made Baazigar such a bold film in the 90s? Released in 1993 Baazigar was a massive risk for its makers and for SRK. While most male stars of the time played romantic leads and family-friendly heroes SRK turned the tide with a role that was dark manipulative and even murderous. He plays a man seeking revenge against a corrupt businessman by targeting his daughters one he kills and the other he falls for. But originally the ending was darker. According to Abbas-Mustan Shilpa Shetty wasn’t the only one meant to die. The twist? Kajol was supposed to discover the truth and kill SRK’s character. Why was the ending changed? The filmmakers feared that making Shah Rukh Khan’s character purely negative would alienate audiences. So they gave him a painful backstory: an abusive father a helpless mother and a burning desire for revenge. This made him more human even if his actions remained morally questionable. “We needed the audience to feel for him to see where he was coming from.” That tweak turned Baazigar from just another thriller into a genre-defining film that launched SRK’s superstardom and changed Bollywood’s hero template forever. How did the risk pay off? Made on a modest budget of Rs 2 crore Baazigar went on to collect Rs 14 crore at the box office huge numbers for the time. It also opened the door for morally grey protagonists in mainstream Hindi cinema. And most importantly it gave us one of SRK’s most memorable performances.