‘Baazigar’s iconic dialogue was written on set’: Filmmaker duo Abbas-Mustan

Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Baazigar’, which was directed by duo Abbas-Mustan, is perhaps remembered best for its iconic dialogue– “Haar kar jeetnewale ko baazigar kehte hai”. The 1993 thriller, which became one of the most timeless movies of Bollywood, has its share of secrets as well. In an interview with Film Companion’s Anupama Chopra, the filmmaker duo revealed some of them.

In reply to Chopra’s question of how the famous dialogue was created, Abbas revealed that it was not part of the original script and was written on the set.

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“Aadesh K Arjun (screenwriter) started accompanying us when the film was being made. He said that he will sit with us and learn from us. He used to sit and write with us. In those days, writers like Robin Bhatt had time slots for each director,” Abbas said.

“So we asked Aadesh to write something nice when Kajol (the female lead in ‘Baazigar’) goes away and he loses the race on purpose. We were shooting in Chennai and Aadesh came to us saying, “Sir, this is the best dialogue.” He then showed it to Shah Rukh, who loved it,” he continued.

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Chopra expressed her surprise at the revelation that the dialogue was written on set. “No, it was not in the original script. The dialogue was written while shooting. We wanted to convey that the hero himself wanted the girl to win, in a bid to win her heart,” Abbas said.

‘Baazigar’ went on to win four Filmfare Awards, including that of the best screenplay, and is still remembered for that one dialogue. The film offered Shah Rukh Khan a career-defining role of an anti-hero, something which he was not accustomed with. It was also the first commercial success for Kajol.