Did you know this actor narrated Baazigar to Abbas-Mustan, then lost film to Shah Rukh Khan?

Deepak Tijori was asked if he regretted exiting any film, and he replied that he "had let go of Baazigar". He said Abbas–Mustan later apologised to him.

Abbas–Mustan's 1993 action thriller film Baazigar was actor Shah Rukh Khan's breakthrough role. But did you know that he wasn't the first choice for the role of Ajay Sharma/Vicky Malhotra? Speaking with India Today, actor Deepak Tijori revealed that he was first approached for the role.

Shah Rukh Khan with his co-star Shilpa Shetty in a still from Baazigar.

Was Deepak Tijori supposed to star in Baazigar?

Deepak was asked if he regretted exiting any film, and he replied that he "had let go of Baazigar". "I'm a living example of that. Abbas-Mustan were the ones who were supposed to direct it. I had actually narrated the film to them, but they deferred and went to Shah Rukh. Shah (SRK) and I were friends. There was a VHS cassette of A Kiss Before Dying at his place. I asked him about it, and he said, ‘Your director came to me, left this tape, and told me not to say yes until you say no.’ So he waited on me," Deepak said.

Deepak says Abbas–Mustan apologised to him

Deepak said that the directors apologised to him, saying "please forgive us, we made a mistake. We’ll compensate you someday", but Deepak told them that it was "forgotten".

Recalling earlier times, Deepak added, "That's how things worked back then. We had such great relationships. If one of us got a film, the other would step back. There was no animosity between the actors. There were no such grievances that we used to carry. We were like best friends."

About Baazigar

Baazigar also starred Kajol, Siddharth, Shilpa Shetty, Raakhee, Dalip Tahil, and Johnny Lever apart from Shah Rukh. The film follows a young man seeking to avenge the fall of his family by going on a murderous rampage. The story is loosely based on Ira Levin's 1953 novel A Kiss Before Dying and its 1991 film adaptation of the same name.