Now that Dhurandhar explores a similar genre, comparisons with D-Day have become inevitable. There have even been calls on social media for a re-release of the cult classic. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, Advani spoke about comparisons with Ranveer Singh’s blockbuster, one he admits he hasn’t seen yet. “I think the best thing about Dhurandhar is that it is a very innovative film. The music is innovative. 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 if it would be the audience for Dhurandhar, which has grossed over a billion rupees at the box office,” he said.

‘I want to play the hero of your film’: Rishi Kapoor

Talking more about D-Day, Nikkhil Advani reflected on his work 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 Dawood Ibrahim-inspired role, which eventually became one of the most memorable performances of the actor’s career. Initially, Advani had approached him for the role later played by Nassar. “I came to him to play the role of Nasir Hussain. 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 spent 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 remembers the moment when he informed Kapoor that it was a supporting role. “I went to narrate him and he told me that this is a very good story. But he got angry with me and said, ‘Yaar, I am not Jon Voight, I am not like Gene Hackman. Give me a suitable role. I want to play the hero of your film’. Then he showed me a photograph of Rauf Lala, the character he played in Agneepath. I went home. In the morning I woke up and said, ‘Chintu sir, you are right’. You play Dawood.”

So read | ‘Your home Oscar-winning actor…’: ‘Frustrated’ Rishi Kapoor scolded Irrfan Khan on D-Day sets, recalls Nikkhil Advani

Watch the Cult Comebacks episode on D-Day here:

In the same conversation, Nikkhil Advani also revealed that before finalizing 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 to a party somewhere in Juhu. We were both sitting and I told him that I was thinking about this and that I really wanted to cast an out-of-character actor for the role. He said, ‘I’ll do it. I don’t mind doing the test. I don’t mind doing a look test.’ So I think the only person I spoke to for this role was Arshad Warsi. He would have been fabulous.”

Advani also spoke about how, in his opinion, the industry is yet to fully tap Warsi’s potential. “And Abhishek Chaubey had used him in Ishqiya. And I love Arshad, we are close friends. I know what he is capable of. Unfortunately, he was cast as a comedian, but it would have been amazing.”