Shah Rukh Khan made his Bollywood debut with Deewana (1992), and just a year later, his career received a major boost with Baazigar (1993). SRK played an anti-hero in the thriller, a rarity at the time. In fact, several actors had turned down the role as it was considered too unconventional, but Shah Rukh took up the challenge, and the rest is history. However, this decision also led to some uncomfortable developments in the industry. Mayank Shekhar, in his Mid-Day column, revealed one such episode.

REVEALED: When Shah Rukh Khan CONFRONTED Gulshan Grover after he called his villainous act in Baazigar a “SHORTCUT to grab popularity”

Mayank Shekhar had a conversation with Gulshan Grover, nicknamed Bad Man, who is known for playing villains. The veteran actor is once again in the limelight because of the release of Amazon Prime Video’s acclaimed web series, Matka King, in which he plays a negative character. While praising his Matka King act, Mayank Shekhar informed the readers that Gulshan Grover once told him that in the early 90s, he was shooting an action scene with stunt-director Veeru Devgan at Filmistan Studio when suddenly, Shah Rukh Khan arrived and charged towards him.

Gulshan Grover further said that both got into an intense argument. The onlookers feared they would get into a physical fight. Thankfully, nothing of that sort happened.

As per the column, SRK was upset with Gulshan as the latter had blasted the former for accepting the villain’s role in Baazigar. Gulshan Grover said that it was a “shortcut to grab popularity”. Shah Rukh Khan read the interview and hence, he came to tell the Bad Man that he was in the game as a Bollywood hero, for the long run. He further said that he took on the antagonist’s role merely as a “personal challenge”. Gulshan Grover accepted his point.

Interestingly, a month after Baazigar’s release, Shah Rukh Khan was seen in Darr (1993), in which he once again played a villain. He was also seen in a negative role in Anjaam (1994). But he also impressed viewers with his lover boy act in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994). After playing the ultimate romantic hero in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), there was no looking back for the superstar.

Coming back to Gulshan Grover, Mayank Shekhar said that the Bad Man had apprehensions over leading men playing villains, a niche that Gulshan had specialized in. Gulshan Grover recalled that an out-of-work hero, who still enjoyed some popularity among the older generation, would often pick up a villain’s role. The character would do all the bad things, but in the end, many of these actors would refuse to get bashed up or humiliated. Gulshan Grover, meanwhile, had no such worries. But the heroes would not want that and, according to Gulshan Grover, they would end up compromising the film’s ending.

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