The iconic 1993 thriller Baazigar, which solidified Shah Rukh Khan's status as a Bollywood superstar, originally had a dramatically different ending. Directed by Abbas-Mustan, the film initially envisioned Kajol's character, Priya, killing Shah Rukh Khan's character, Ajay. This darker conclusion was ultimately changed to the ending that audiences know, where Ajay dies in his mother's arms after seeking revenge for his father's death.
In the original script, Shah Rukh Khan's character was conceived as an "out-and-out negative character". Shaped by a traumatic childhood with an abusive, alcoholic father, Ajay was driven purely by a desire for wealth. His plan involved seducing and manipulating the daughters of a wealthy businessman, ultimately murdering one of them to seize control of the family's fortune. The twist was that the second daughter, Priya, would discover his evil intentions and kill him, delivering a form of justice.
The directors, Abbas-Mustan, later shifted the focus of the film to emotional depth. They drew inspiration from filmmakers like Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra, who were known for their emphasis on emotional storytelling. They reworked the script to give Shah Rukh Khan's character a strong backstory, including his bond with his mother, the trauma of his father's death, and the loss of his younger sister. According to Mustan, it was the emotional depth, and not just the suspense, that became Baazigar's most crucial element. By exploring the mother-son relationship and justifying the protagonist's revenge, they aimed to evoke empathy from the audience, making them more forgiving of his sins.
The decision to change the ending was also influenced by concerns about audience reception. Actress Rakhee Gulzar, who played Ajay's mother, was not pleased with the original dark ending. She felt that viewers would be disappointed if the protagonist died. Distributors also suggested that the hero should not die and that the police should arrest him instead. The filmmakers shot two endings, but they ultimately decided that the emotional impact of Ajay dying in his mother's arms was the stronger choice.
Even with the altered ending, Baazigar was considered a risky move for its time. Casting Shah Rukh Khan as a morally complex anti-hero was a departure from the clean-cut heroes that typically dominated the silver screen. Despite some initial hesitation from actors like Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor, who turned down the role, Shah Rukh Khan embraced the challenge and delivered a performance that would redefine his career.
The change in storyline was also made because, during the trial show of the film, people couldn't understand why Shah Rukh Khan's character killed Shilpa Shetty's character. So, Abbas-Mustan tweaked the film's plot a bit and added the son's revenge for father angle to it.
Although Baazigar is considered an unofficial remake of the Hollywood film A Kiss Before Dying, Mustan maintains that the films are very different. The only similarity lies in the scene where a man throws a girl off a building. Baazigar distinguishes itself with its focus on the mother-son relationship and the theme of revenge.
