Did You Know Anil Kapoor Rejected Abbas-Mustan’s Baazigar As He Deemed It 'Too Risky'?

Anil Kapoor is still a highly sought-after actor in the film business at the age of 67. Thanks to Animal's huge success, he closed out 2023 with a bang and started 2024 on a grand note with the release of Fighter. About the renowned filmography of Anil Kapoor, the actor turned down several roles in his decades-long career. One of them is Abbas-Mustan's directorial, Baazigar. 

Anil Kapoor was the first choice for Baazigar

In an old video, Abbas-Mustan talked about the time they took Baazigar’s script to Anil Kapoor for a reading. While the actor said he liked the story, he still politely refused to be a part of the movie. The director duo said, “When we were ready with the story of Baazigar, we first went to Anil Kapoor. He was shooting for Roop Ki Rani Choro Ki Raja and he said this subject is too risky. He said it’s good but I won’t do it. He refused politely.”

The film eventually went to Shah Rukh Khan and became the turning point of his career. It is regarded as his breakout performance that shot him to fame. It was a risk to play the anti-hero protagonist, but SRK's gamble paid off as the cult film went on to become a huge hit. Kajol and Shilpa Shetty were also part of the star cast. 

The film was recently announced to be making its theatrical comeback under the Retro Film Festival. Kajol and Shilpa posted the announcement on their respective Instagram handle. 

What’s next for Anil Kapoor?

On the work front, Anil Kapoor was last seen in Hrithik Roshan-Deepika Padukone starrer Fighter. While the actor hasn’t made her future acting projects public as of now, he will be producing Crew featuring Kareena Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Tabu.