When Abbas-Mustan were told to cast Sridevi in double role with Shah Rukh in Baazigar: ‘When the first girl dies, we’ll still have Sridevi’

Abbas-Mustan recalled that they were asked to cast Sridevi in a double role in Baazigar. The film, starring Shah Rukh in the lead, had Kajol and Shilpa Shetty playing the two female leads finally.

Abbas-Mustan were told to cast Sridevi in Baazigar.

When filmmakers Abbas-Mustan were casting for their 1993 film Baazigar, the filmmakers were facing a hard time in casting the lead role,which was eventually played by Shah Rukh Khan and set him up on the road to stardom. Since it was a negative character, who throws off a woman from a tall building in the first act of the film, no mainstream hero was ready to get associated with the film. And while they were struggling to get the right man for the job, they were told that they should perhaps think about casting Sridevi as the lead actress. That too in a double role.

In an earlier conversation with Komal Nahta, Abbas Mustan said that one of the executives at Venus Films, who were the producers of the film, recommended that Sridevi should be cast in the role of the two sisters – Priya (played by Kajol) and Seema (essayed by Shilpa Shetty). They believed that when Seema dies, Priya will still be alive trying to solve her sister’s death case and the audience will have more of Sridevi. “He said that when the first girl dies, we’ll still have Sridevi in the movie,” the director duo recalled.

But Abbas-Mustan did not like this idea. “We said that Shah Rukh is also in a sort-of double role. Although it is one character, but he is playing it like two guys. If the sisters are also in a double role, it will be too confusing for the audience,” they shared. But they had to turn down the suggestion gently so they came up with another reason. “We felt that if we take Sridevi or Juhi Chawla in Seema’s role, the audience’s sympathy, especially the fans of the actress will be wholly invested in that. They won’t be interested in the film anymore. And they will also be let down that our favourite actress is dead. So we decided to cast a new actress. We thought that when she dies, people will be shocked. And then people will be like now we are curious to know what happens next,” they shared.

Story continues below this ad

ALSO READ |Ae Watan Mere Watan movie review: Sara Ali Khan leaves little impact in this banal blur

The directors then met Shah Rukh Khan who was keen to work with them after the success of Khiladi. After SRK insisted on a narration by the directors themselves, he agreed to do the film on the spot.

Baazigar, along with Darr, which released in the same year was a turning point in Shah Rukh Khan’s career.

Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.

Father of senior Finance Ministry official killed in accident

‘If they had taken him to a nearby hospital…’: Father of ministry officer killed in crash

Cities1 hr ago

A senior Finance Ministry official, Navjot Singh, died in an accident involving a BMW M5 and his bike. His father, Balwant Singh, is heartbroken and blames the hospital for his son's death. Navjot was a beloved and accomplished government official, leaving behind a void in the lives of his family and colleagues. His son's birthday has now become a day of mourning.

View all shorts

More Entertainment

Entertainment Two Much trailer: Salman Khan says he's 'surviving on just three expressions'; Twinkle demands more money as Kajol hits her