SRK literally chose the role because it was negative - he was in the phase of his career where he was exploring the villainous role. Baazigar, Darr and then Anjaam solidified SRK as a villain. While one can be sympathetic to the plight that led to his character's decisions, but he wasn't redeemed he was just shown in a sympathetic light. So I don't agree that he was an anti-hero, he was very much a villain in Baazigar. No one was whitewashing his actions, or his motivations, everyone knew that what SRK's character did was villainous, so it's not even a comparison. We sympathized with Baazigar's past, but it didn't absolve him of the crimes he committed through out the movie.
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