Arshad Warsi offered to audition for Dawood Ibrahim’s role in D-Day, Rishi Kapoor believed he was the right choice, recalls Nikkhil Advani
Before Rishi Kapoor stepped in to play Dawood Ibrahim in D-Day, Nikkhil Advani had spoken to Arshad Warsi about the same as he wanted to cast someone out of type.
Since the release of Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, audiences have begun revisiting Nikkhil Advani’s spy actioner D-Day. Released over a decade ago, D-Day was a major box-office disappointment at the time. However, with the benefit of hindsight, the film has steadily found appreciation, with many now recognising it as ahead of its time, arriving even before Neeraj Pandey launched his spy escapades with Akshay Kumar’s Baby, and Kabir Khan attempted a similar terrain with Saif Ali Khan’s Phantom. Back then, Advani pulled off a remarkable casting coup in what is often regarded as his finest work, bringing together Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Arjun Rampal, Huma Qureshi, Aakash Dahiya and Chandan Roy Sanyal.
Now, with Dhurandhar exploring a similar genre, comparisons with D-Day have become inevitable. Social media has even seen calls for a re-release of the cult classic. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, Advani opened up about the comparisons with the Ranveer Singh blockbuster, one he admits he still hasn’t seen. “I think the great thing about Dhurandhar is that it’s a very front-foot film. The music is front-foot. I think Aditya Dhar’s voice in the film is extremely strong and powerful. And I think D-Day will find the audience that it didn’t find back then, but I don’t know whether it would be the audience of a Dhurandhar, which has done more than a thousand crores at the box office,” he said.
‘I want to play the hero of your film’: Rishi Kapoor
Speaking further about D-Day, Nikkhil Advani reflected on working with Rishi Kapoor and revealed how the veteran actor came to be cast in the film. He shared that Kapoor was not his first choice for the role inspired by Dawood Ibrahim, which eventually became one of the most memorable performances of the actor’s career. Initially, Advani had approached him for the role that was later played by Nassar. “I went to him to play Nasir Hussain’s role. So he and I have a very close relationship. We had done Patiala House together. My building and his bungalow shared a wall in Pali Hill, so I would spend a lot of time with him.”
Nikkhil Advani recalled that he had briefly considered Arshad Warsi to play the role of Dawood Ibrahim in D-Day.
Advani recalled the moment he informed Kapoor that it was a supporting role. “I went to narrate to him and he had told me that this is a very good story. But he got angry with me and said, ‘Yaar, I’m not Jon Voight, I’m not like Gene Hackman. Give me a proper role. I want to play the hero of your film.’ Then he showed me a photograph of Rauf Lala, the character he was playing in Agneepath. I went home. In the morning, I woke up and said, ‘Chintu sir, you’re right. You play Dawood.’”
Watch the episode of Cult Comebacks on D-Day here:
In the same conversation, Nikkhil Advani also revealed that before finalising Rishi Kapoor, he had briefly considered Arshad Warsi for the role. “I think I had a brief conversation, very brief, with Arshad Warsi. I think we had gone for a party somewhere in Juhu. Both of us were sitting and I said that I was thinking about this, and that I really wanted to cast an actor out of type for the role. He said, ‘I’ll do it. I don’t mind testing for it. I don’t mind doing a look test.’ So I think the only person I had spoken to for this role was Arshad Warsi. He would have been fabulous.”
Advani also spoke about how, in his view, the industry has yet to fully tap into Warsi’s potential. “And Abhishek Chaubey had used him in Ishqiya. And I love Arshad, we are close friends. I know what he’s capable of. He unfortunately got bracketed as a comedian, but he would have been incredible.”
Anas Arif is a prolific Entertainment Journalist and Cinematic Analyst at The Indian Express, where he specializes in the intersection of Indian pop culture, auteur-driven cinema, and industrial ethics. His writing is defined by a deep-seated commitment to documenting the evolving landscape of Indian entertainment through the lens of critical theory and narrative authorship.
Experience & Career
As a core member of The Indian Express entertainment vertical, Anas has cultivated a unique beat that prioritizes the "craft behind the celebrity." He has interviewed a vast spectrum of industry veterans, from blockbuster directors like Vijay Krishna Acharya, Sujoy Ghosh, Maneesh Sharma to experimental filmmakers and screenwriters like Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Varun Grover, Rajat Kapoor amongst several others. His career is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, where he frequently tackles the ethical implications of mainstream cinema and the socio-political subtext within popular media. He is also the host of the YouTube series Cult Comebacks, where he talks to filmmakers about movies that may not have succeeded initially but have, over time, gained a cult following. The show aims to explore films as works of art, rather than merely commercial ventures designed to earn box office revenue.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Anas's expertise lies in his ability to deconstruct cinematic works beyond surface-level reviews. His focus areas include:
Auteur Studies: Detailed retrospectives and analyses of filmmakers such as Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap, and Neeraj Ghaywan, often exploring their central philosophies and creative evolutions.
Cinematic Deconstruction: Examining technical and narrative choices, such as the use of aspect ratios in independent films (Sabar Bonda) or the structural rhythm of iconic soundtracks (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge).
Industrial & Social Ethics: Fearless critique of commercial blockbusters, particularly regarding the promotion of bigoted visions or the marginalization of communities in mainstream scripts.
Exclusive Long-form Interviews: Conducting high-level dialogues with actors and creators to uncover archival anecdotes and future-looking industry insights.
Authoritativeness & Trust
Anas Arif has established himself as a trusted voice by consistently moving away from standard PR-driven journalism. Whether he is interrogating the "mythology of Shah Rukh Khan" in modern sequels or providing a space for independent filmmakers to discuss the "arithmetic of karma," his work is rooted in objectivity and extensive research. Readers look to Anas for an educated viewpoint that treats entertainment not just as a commodity, but as a critical reflection of the country's collective conscience. ... Read More
Nikkhil Advani recalled that he had briefly considered Arshad Warsi to play the role of Dawood Ibrahim in D-Day.
