BAAZIGAR (1993)

Baazigar, meaning juggler or magician, is a very suitable title for Shahrukh’s intriguing character in this film because he juggles two identities as he courts two sisters, and like a magician, manages to evade suspicion and capture.   No wonder that Shahrukh won the Filmfare Best Actor award in 1994 for this impressive performance!

Shahrukh’s role in Baazigar is particularly fascinating and intriguing because in the first half of the film we don’t yet know why he is Ajay Sharma with green eyes and big glasses, but also Vicky Malhotra with brown eyes at other times!  There is only one clue in the opening scenes which reveal a terrible family tragedy that left his mother suffering long-lasting effects of a complete breakdown which Ajay is determined to avenge.

In fact, Baazigar is a story about revenge of two different kinds, and teaches somewhat of a moral lesson about forgiveness and mercy, as well as the consequences of bad deeds done out of wrong motives. The first kind is motivated by hatred and greed involving a powerful tycoon and his large business empire, and results in an innocent family’s complete demise.  This then leads to the second act of revenge, namely for justice and retribution, but not without victims and further suffering along the way. 

This clever plot is presented in an entertaining way as it swings from sad and heavy moods to quite zany comedy and action scenes to break the intense drama and tension of the serious story.   The overall result is a well-balanced movie expressing a wide variety of emotions and moods, including its great selection of songs, some with impressive scenery and choreography such as in Baazigar O Baazigar and Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhen respectively, both of which are still popular songs today and appear on several film hit compilations.  

But no doubt other factors also contributed to Baazigar’s success as a super box-office hit, such as Johnny Lever, one of India’s top comic actors who has appeared in dozens of films, who adds a huge dose of zany comedy as the hopelessly forgetful and ridiculously stupid head waiter of the wealthy Chopra family.

Perhaps more important, however, is that Bazigaar is the first movie in which Shahrukh teams up with Kajol, the vivacious and charming actress with whom he has shared a very successful working relationship, in particular in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995).  Kajol was Shahrukh’s on-screen love interest in other super hit movies such as Karan Arjun (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Kabhi Khushi Khabi Gham (2001).

These winning features aside, it is still Shahrukh’s stunning acting in Baazigar which haunts the memory of most viewers.   The complex character Shahrukh plays gradually unfolds during the film as it reveals that he has a devious plan of some sort, but this doesn’t prepare us for the shocking and cold-blooded murders he commits without remorse on his path of revenge and retribution. 

Unlike Shahrukh’s role in Darr of the same year, 1993, in which his character was deeply psychologically disturbed, in Baazigar he is perfectly sane and all his actions are carefully planned and very deliberate.  In a few short but very poignant and chilling scenes Shahrukh superbly conveys this with body language and facial expressions which show Ajay’s fierce determination to reach his goal at any cost.  

As he reaches his goal the suspense continually builds up as Ajay struggles to cover up his tracks and true motives, ending in a violent and gut-wrenching climax.  These scenes, as well as some less realistic fight scenes earlier in the film, reveal Shahrukh’s penchant for physical action and his skill in performing them, both in lethal combat and just for fun and thrills, such as when he defeats a rowdy gang of bikies like a superhero with just a few quick and simple moves.

This carefully-balanced combination of serious drama and comedy make Baazigar very entertaining on many levels, and also provides Shahrukh with many opportunities to express his wide range of acting skills; from the loving son deprived of his family and mother’s love, to the cold and determined killer intent on final retribution.

Like Darr, Baazigar firmly set the foundation of Shahrukh’s acting career and paved the way to even bigger success and popularity just a few years later.  And no doubt  Shahrukh’s success in this complex role led to more challenging dual roles in which he played completely opposite and separate characters such as in Duplicate (1998) and Don (2006).

by Barbara Burkowsky

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