Actor Rishi Kapoor, known for his illustrious career spanning five decades, is remembered for several iconic roles. Among them, his portrayal of the menacing Goldman in Nikkhil Advani’s ‘D-Day’ (2013) stands out as one of his most celebrated performances. Loosely inspired by real-life gangster Dawood Ibrahim, the character marked a rare occasion where Kapoor embraced a villainous persona. However, director Nikkhil Advani recently disclosed that the veteran actor was originally offered a completely different role, which he refused to play.
During a conversation with Lehren Retro, Advani shared how Kapoor had initially been approached to play the RAW chief, a role that ultimately went to actor Nassar. “I tried my best to get him on board. He looked at me and said, ‘Am I Jon Voight? Do I look like Gene Hackman? I am a star; I am a leading man! Get out. Let me also show you what that boy Karan Malhotra is doing (with Agneepath).’ Then he showed me Rauf Lala (Rishi’s grey-shaded character in the 2012 Hrithik Roshan film),” the filmmaker recalled.
Although Kapoor made the remark in a lighthearted manner, Advani took it as a sign that the actor was better suited for a much stronger and more complex role. That realisation led him to reconsider casting Kapoor as Goldman instead. “I went away, upset. But I called him the next morning and told him, ‘Chintu ji, you are right — play Dawood,’” he shared. But Rishi jokingly asked if the filmmaker had lost his mind. Kapoor assured Advani that he was willing to play any role, including the RAW chief. However, Advani proposed a look test for Goldman instead. At Mehboob Studio, Kapoor donned a white suit and, upon finding a prop gun, posed for photographs. Impressed by his own transformation, he immediately shared the pictures with his wife,
Neetu Kapoor
, who was equally amazed by the look.
Irrfan
Khan, Arjun Rampal, Shruti Haasan, and Huma Qureshi also played key roles in D-Day. Advani revealed that Irrfan Khan was particularly taken aback upon learning Kapoor would play Goldman.
Recalling a challenging moment on set, Advani shared how Kapoor grew impatient with Khan over his unconventional acting style. Rishi and Irrfan had only one scene together, in which Irrfan had some dialogues. Rishi, known for delivering on cue, would tell Khan that he would enter on his cue. However, Irrfan never gave cues and changed them every time.
Irrfan kept altering his cue, which frustrated Rishi. He eventually told Irrfan that he knew he was a big star, had won an Oscar background, and had worked with Ang Lee in ‘Life of Pi’, but still wanted him to give a cue. Advani then requested Irrfan to do so.
