Baazigar along with Darr (1993) heralded a new star in Bollywood, a man who dared to successfully play the anti-hero in both films at a time when it was considered taboo for leading men to play such roles – Shah Rukh Khan. Seen till then in Deewana (1992) and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992), Shah Rukh became a major star with the huge box office success of Baazigar and to be fair he does deliver a star making performance of a killer pretending to be two men who has your sympathy even if his raving and ranting in the climax appears to be copying Amitabh Bachchan’s angry young man act shamelessly. The film won for him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor and he does manage to make each of the characters distinct from the other. Baazigar also sees his first pairing with Kajol, a pairing that has unfailingly delivered hits such as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge or DDLJ (1995), Karan Arjun (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham (2001).

Based on A Kiss Before Dying, the film is just about an average thriller with a loud and unneccessary overlong external comedic track with Johnny Lever which did prove popular though. One major weakness in the screenplay is having to give a solid justification as to why Shah Rukh is the way he is since of course the Hindi film hero cannot be totally negative without a reason. This greatly dilutes the film and Shah Rukh becomes ultimately just another typical hero taking revenge for the wrongs done to his parents rather than it being a trendsetting anti-hero character as was tom-tommed before the film’s release. The scene where he cold-bloodedly throws Shilpa Shetty off the terrace of the building did shock audiences though.  

The film has, in fact, dated terribly and is a grim reminder of the end 1980s and early 1990s, a nadir for Hindi cinema regarding aesthetics and style. The sets and costumes in particular make one cringe with embarrssment. Kajol shows great spark and a hint of greater things to come, in this her second film. See her reaction the first time she sees Shah Rukh and you realize she has fallen for him. Here was an actress who could emote with a look or a glance that says it all rather then have to depend on dialogue to get her point across. Shilpa Shetty, in her film debut is strictly so-so. It’s the music by Anu Malik that lifts the film a notch or two. Songs like Baazigar O Baazigar, Ae Mere Hamsafar and Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein proved to be extremely popular and are well tuned and composed even if the rap element in Kaali Kaali Aankhein rendered by Malik himself is plain irritating and stupid.