Baazigar at 32: How Shah Rukh Khan Became a Bollywood Superstar

Baazigar, the 1993 Bollywood thriller directed by the Abbas-Mustan duo, celebrated its 32nd anniversary on November 12, 2025. The film, produced by Venus Movies, not only became a major box office success but also proved to be a career-defining project for its lead actor, Shah Rukh Khan.

One of the most iconic elements of Baazigar is its dialogue, particularly the line "Kabhi kabhi jeetne ke liye kuchh haarna bhi padta hai, aur haar kar jeetne wale ko Baazigar kehte hain (Sometimes, you need to lose something in order to win, and a person who does that is called Baazigar)." This memorable quote was the brainchild of veteran writer and literary figure Javed Siddiqi.

In an exclusive interview, Siddiqi revealed that the directors had asked him to come up with a line that would have a double meaning, and he came up with the now-famous dialogue. Interestingly, Siddiqi noted that while many people thought the film's unconventional approach of making the protagonist a villain would not work, only one person had complete confidence in it - Shah Rukh Khan himself. "He said, 'I will carry it off.' He has something different in him. He is also very hardworking when it comes to preparing for his role," Siddiqi said.

Baazigar, which also starred Kajol, Dalip Tahil, Shilpa Shetty, Ananth Mahadevan, and Johnny Lever, went on to become a landmark film in Bollywood and cemented SRK's status as a leading Bollywood star.