Baazigar

Behind the Child lies a Man. Behind the Man lies the psychopath

"Sometimes, for winning, one has to lose. And those who win by losing they call Baazigar"

—Ajay Sharma

Psychopathic Manchild meets Shah Rukh Khan. End Result: Baazigar.

Baazigar, literally meaning "Gambler" in Hindi, is a Film of the Book a Kiss before Dying , and a psychological thriller about a man who would do anything to avenge the wrongs done to his family.

Villain Protagonist Ajay Sharma vows to bring Madan Chopra down to his knees for abusing the trust of his parents, cheating them of their business, indirectly leading to the death of his father and infant sister, propositioning his mother and destroying his mother's sanity. To do so, he decides to charm his two daughters, Seema (Shilpa Shetty) and Priya (Kajol), separately from each other and to dispose of anything in his way that stops him from his objective.

He charms older sister Seema and becomes her secret lover. He convinces her to keep their relationship a secret because of his poverty but little does she know that he is pulling an elaborate Xanatos Gambit that would lead to her... just wait.

He impersonates and dons on another identity, as a man named Vicky Malhotra, a rich man who races for fun and makes a living selling sports cars. He manages to charm Madan Chopra by deliberately losing a race and charms Priya by confessing that he lost because he could not bear her disappointment if her father lost. Unknown to both sisters, he dates them both on the sly. Priya tries to arrange a date with her sister to talk about Vicky but circumstances lead to her to cancel this date. We are introduced at this point to Inspector Karan.

Meanwhile, Madan Chopra arranges a marriage for Seema and when she goes all distraught to Ajay, he convinces her that suicide is the only option and that they both should write a suicide letter. After she gives him the letter, he pretends that he was just testing her resolve and proposes that they get married the next day in a Registrar office. As soon as she arrives the next day, Ajay pushes her off from the balcony. The case is ruled a suicide (because of the suicide note) though her sister Priya is not convinced. As she suspects that Seema's lover might be her killer, Ajay starts to wipe out all evidence linking him to her, including people.

Features Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan. This film gained Shah Rukh Khan acclaim as it was rare for a Bollywood actor at the time to act out a Villain Protagonist.

Tropes used in Baazigar include:

All Girls Want Bad Boys: Subverted. Ajay was able to romance Seema because he was like a plushie and a nice nerdy guy who was not enamored of her like 99% of humanity. When Ajay starts to fall in love with Priya, he convinces himself that she would start hating him if she knew his being a murderer and liar.
Almost Kiss: Ajay with Seema
Attempted Rape: Priya by a bunch of thugs. Ajay rescues her and wins her trust.
Bittersweet Ending: You can't wait for Ajay to get his comeuppance which he does in the end but you can't help feel sorry for what happened to him.
Color Coded for Your Convenience: Ajay's real eyecolor is green. He wears black color lenses to play the role of Vicky.
Complete Monster: What the audience feels when Ajay removes his glasses, looks into Seema's eyes, holds and kisses her feet, tells her that a woman is liberated from her old ties after she formalizes her love and that he's sorry. He then pushes her from the balcony, causing her death. He proceeds to leave the scene, taking her younger sister Priya to the building and acting completely oblivious to what happened.
Ear Worm: 'Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhe'. The lyrics make no sense yet you can't help but hum.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Ajay's motivation is fueled by his love towards his insane mother. He ends dying on her arms.
Evil Laugh: When Madan Chopra stabs a blood drenched Ajay with a spear. The creepy part is when Ajay starts laughing as well. You know what happens next...
Faceless Goons: Obviously, in the climax of the movie.
Fan Service: Shilpa Shetty's introduction as Seema centers on a zoomup of her ass. She then proceeds to put on a bathing suit and generally being the Fan Service of this movie.
- Shah Rukh Khan otherwise known as Mr. Fanservice roams around with nothing but a towel and an open shirt in the beginning of the movie.
Heroic Sacrifice: Ajay.
"I Am" Song: The song 'Baazigar'
Item number: Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhe
Magnificent Bastard: Not only does Ajay manage to romance both daughters of Chopra, carry out Seema's death: He also manages to get Chopra's trust: so much so, that he is given the power of attorney from Chopra and then proceeds to abuse it by coveting his property. Until the end, he also manages to keep his identity secret, murder all those who know of his identity with impunity and not get caught until one slip-up.
- When Anjali, Priya's friend, figures out who Seema's lover is because of a photo, she calls Madan Chopra. Ajay who is at Chopra's house manages to convince Anjali he is Madan Chopra on the phone and convinces her to meet him with the photo. He then proceeds to kill her and literally Eat the Evidence (the photo in question).
Manipulative Bastard: Every single person Ajay meets is charmed by him. Even Anjali who pays for it with her death
Moral Event Horizon: When Seema died, he transitioned from a Anti-Hero to a Villain Protagonist
My Name Is Inigo Montoya: Just when Ajay is beaten so badly he's bleeding all over, his mother comes to protect him. Of course, being a Complete Monster, Madan Chopra hits her and due to his sheer will Ajay goes Ax Crazy.
Narm Charm: The whole movie is littered with examples. Where to begin..?
Normally I Would Be Dead Now: Ajay. Serious to God, Ajay.
Tsundere: Priya. Which is why Ajay almost falls in love with her.
Ominous Latin Chanting: The movie is unfortunately riddled with this type of ominous music.
Puppy Dog Eyes: Ajay
Psychopathic Manchild: Ajay
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Do not *in any circumstance* injure Ajay's mother which happens to be Ajay's Berserk Button
Unlucky Childhood Friend: Karan who has the hots for Priya but is not able to tell her.
What an Idiot!: Karan. Despite being a police officer, Karan is full of this. When Ajay finished talking to Anjali, Seema's friend who happened to catch his face, impersonating Madan Chopra, Karan comes in to the room and is not the least bit suspicious. In fact, Ajay chitchats with him. He also does not suspect that Seema died in a suicide. He also thinks that Raj was Seema's lover and committed suicide even though Ajay is the one who killed Raj. What a maroon.
- Ajay stuffs Anjali in a suitcase and carries the suitcase through the lobby. Not one person deems to suspect him.
Woobie: Clearly Ajay. Just watch the ending. Shedding so much blood, forgiving Chopra before Chopra stabs him in the back and then crawling and bleeding blood as he staggers to his mother, crying "Maaaa".
Verbal Tic: Ajay. Again expected in a Shah Rukh Khan movie.
You Can Barely Stand: Ajay who is beaten to a pulp by Mooks before his confrontation with arch villain Madan Chopra.