In an exclusive interview with senior post journalist Bharathi S Pradhan for Lehren, dynamic director Nikkhil Advani narrates the full story of how he offered legendary actor Rishi Kapoor Iqbal Seth Aka Goldman's role in D-Day (2013) Film. He shares the experience of working with Chintu Ji (Rishi Kapoor) & the versatile Irrfan Khan in the same spy-thriller movie in turn recalling some interesting on-set memories. Advani also gets emotional while talking about Rishi ji & Irrfan Sahab's sadful demise within a days gap due to cancer. Watch the full footage with Lehren Retro. #nikkhiladvani #rishikapoor #irrfankhan #d-day #dday #ddayfilm #d-dayfilm #nikkhiladvaniinterview
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00:00D-Day, thoda sa real mein hi tha, historical fiction bhi, jo ek genre abhi ban chuka hai,
00:13historical fiction bhi. Because aapke driver ne bola ki agar aap udhar
00:18Osama Bin Laden ko pick up kar sakte hai, toh hum Dawood ko kyu nahi. Toh waha se shuru
00:24And it is because jab humne Amarjeet Singh Dalat ko script, jo RAW ke chief the uss time pe,
00:31and he had just retired. And we found some connection in him. We went and we gave him the script to read.
00:36Usne kaha ki how did he get all this information?
00:38Acha, toh how did you get it?
00:40Google.
00:46Google. It was there, everything is there. Dark web.
00:49Acha so the RAW chief was surprised.
00:52He said because the only way that you could actually get him back is the way you'll have done,
00:57which is put him in the back of a car and bring him across. Everywhere else is being monitored.
01:01And you take the cars.
01:02Everything else is being monitored. This is the only way you can get him. As rudimentary as that.
01:06Gaadi ke dikki mein beta ke, lekiya wapas. He said we have plans about that.
01:10Kaise karenge, kab karenge, kis tarah se kar sakte hai, how to do it. He said I can't believe that you got Dawood.
01:16So that was actually historical.
01:19Ritesh also is a freak as far as spy stories and wo open padta tha, caravan padta tha, he would read Outlook.
01:28Wo ye cuttings nikal da. He was quite a, he was dying to do a film like that.
01:34That was one of your first successes, isn't it?
01:38Yeah.
01:40First independent success.
01:42Not box office.
01:44Yeha logon ne aapko, aapko thoda tarif karna churu kiya, you know.
01:48Karan saw it and he saw it, he saw it at Lightbox, purana Lightbox jo hai.
01:52He akela bed ke dekh raha tha. He said I'll watch it alone. I don't want to watch with other people.
01:56He came and saw it and he looked up. I came into the room, I came into the Lightbox, he was sitting in the last row.
02:01And he got up and he said all the red lines have been erased.
02:05Correct.
02:06He came and gave me a hug. He said this is it.
02:09How did Rishi Kapoor like it?
02:11He loved it. Loved it. He sat for every trial.
02:14Because he was, people were praising him.
02:17You know how Rishi ji was. Indu ji loved this thing. You know he would say I am Raj Kapoor's son and all that.
02:22But he just wanted to be basking in the glory.
02:25And he couldn't believe that, I mean, he was a guy who was a Monty.
02:29Monty ko abhi yeh hum log ne Goldman banaya diya tha, Dawood Ibrahim banaya diya tha.
02:34He loved it.
02:35Yeh sahi hai ki unhone aapko Rauf Lala dikhaya tha?
02:38Yeh sahi hai?
02:40I went to ask him to play the role of Nasir sir.
02:43Jo Irfaan.
02:44Raw chief the, in D-Day. I went to ask him to play that role.
02:47And maine bhot sara usse, matlab, koshish ki to, you know, say that, that, what are we having.
02:53Unka outhouse tha, jo purana pamle mein.
02:56Toh he was, he heard me out and he looked at me and said, am I John White?
03:01Do I look like Gene Hackman? I am a star. I am a leading man.
03:08Get out.
03:10And he could say, yes.
03:12Get out. So he said, get out and I was like, oh, what to do, what to do.
03:15He said, let me show you, let me show you what that boy Karan Malhotra is doing.
03:19He showed me, see this Rauf Lala.
03:22This is the, this is, he has the guts.
03:26And this is what Chintu Kapoor can do.
03:28Yes, this Chintu Kapoor.
03:29Something. So I went away. I was very upset.
03:33Ultimately in the morning I said, you know, Chintu ji, you are right.
03:36Get out.
03:38He said, bache, aap paagal ho gaya hai kya tu?
03:40Main toh tere mazaag kar raha tha. I will play whatever you want me to play.
03:43Main karta hoon na wo, Rock Achi.
03:45You are right.
03:47Let's do a test. Let's do a test. Let's do a look test.
03:51Mehboob Studio, we did a look test.
03:53He came out, he said, it's a gun.
03:54Came out with a, wearing a white suit.
03:57And he said, do we have a gun? And we had a gun.
03:59Luckily we had a gun.
04:00Although you didn't need a gun for that film.
04:02Yeah, but he said, do we have a gun?
04:04Because that time we did not know what actually,
04:06how I was going to treat it and this and that or whatever.
04:09So he took the gun and stood there.
04:11And then we took some photographs. Blackberry hota tha.
04:14And eventually he sent Neetu ji the photographs.
04:16And he said, see this and whatever.
04:17She was also aware of this thing.
04:19I remember meeting Irrfan two days later.
04:21And I told Irrfan, unhe Irrfan kar raha tha.
04:25Chintu ji is playing Goldman.
04:27Rahul Dibrahim.
04:29Over for all of us.
04:31He is going to take the full film.
04:33Yeah.
04:34Irrfan was right.
04:35Irrfan, yeah.
04:36He said, he'll take it.
04:37He'll take it.
04:38Hum log ko kuch bhi de de.
04:40Abhi tohne de diya.
04:42He is going to take the full film.
04:43Correct, correct.
04:44And he did.
04:45Yeah.
04:46Isn't it strange that you had a very good connection to Irrfan.
04:50And you had an equally great connection with Rishi Kapoor.
04:55Yeah, they drive one day after.
04:56Aur dono haan, ek din ke baad.
04:58Aur dono cancer se.
05:00Aur Irrfan ek din, doosri din Chintu ji?
05:0329th April, 30th April.
05:05My birthday is 30th April.
05:07Really?
05:08Babri.
05:09Toh manane ka mauka nahi mila na.
05:12Covid tha.
05:13Lockdown mein the.
05:15And Irrfan passed away.
05:17And I couldn't go.
05:19Kyuki they were allowing only 10 people.
05:21Toh Tishu gaya.
05:22Tishu went, Vishal ji went.
05:24And they sent me some messages from there or whatever.
05:27And Sutappa I spoke to.
05:29Shelja I spoke to.
05:30Was very close to him.
05:32And I said I should.
05:34So I called up Arjun Nampal.
05:36I said Arjun, you know this has happened.
05:38I called up Sruti Hassan.
05:39I said this has happened.
05:40I said okay.
05:41I called up Chintu ji.
05:42Called up Chintu ji.
05:43Phone didn't ring.
05:44Phone rang out.
05:45Called up Chintu ji again.
05:46Phone rang out.
05:47And Shanti ji called me back.
05:49His secretary.
05:51And he said, aapka phone aa raha hai.
05:54Neetu ji ne bola aapko bataane ke liye.
05:57Chintu ji is in Harkesh Chandra's hospital.
06:00And he was admitted and he is critical.
06:02I said what?
06:03I said I spoke to him just before Covid.
06:07I had spoken to him.
06:08He had come back from America.
06:09He was doing well.
06:10And I said I am coming to meet you.
06:13And he said no hospital main.
06:15Next morning he passed away.
06:16Next morning he passed away.
06:17It was uncanny actually.
06:20Absolutely.
06:21Ek din ke baad.
06:22Ek din ke baad.
06:24Which has become quite like an iconic meme.
06:27Where in the film when by chance they have given up on catching him.
06:33And they catch him suddenly.
06:34They suddenly get him.
06:36And they put him in the car.
06:38In the back seat of the car.
06:39And Huma is driving the car.
06:41And Arjun is sitting on one side.
06:42Chintu ji is sitting in the center.
06:44And Irfan is sitting on this side.
06:47And there was some couple of dialogues where they are driving.
06:50Because when we do car shots then we put the car rig.
06:54The director can't go.
06:56The cameraman might go etc.
06:58So when they took the shot came back.
07:00And Irfan said.
07:02I said okay.
07:03I saw the playback.
07:05I said done.
07:06Let's go back.
07:07So we were driving towards the base.
07:08And Irfan turned on the camera.
07:12He just put the camera on.
07:13Because he had the camera button in his hand.
07:15So he turned on the camera.
07:16And there is a shot where his hair is flying.
07:18And he looks at Rishiji like this.
07:21And he just smiles.
07:23I finally got him.
07:26And I put that into the edit.
07:27And that became the shot which everybody shared.
07:30Wow.
07:31After the past.
07:32Yeah.
07:34By mistake.
07:35It's a total by mistake.
07:37But these klooks happen in life.
07:39It's like him telling Rishiji I will see you upstairs.
07:45Yeah.
07:46Correct.
07:47Meet you.
07:48Yeah meet you.
07:49Correct.
07:50When you.
07:51Rishiji had frustrated with him.
07:53Rishiji had frustrated with Irfan.
07:56We have one scene.
07:57In the whole film.
07:58And he had heard.
08:00Sitting on the farm house.
08:02Both of us are sitting.
08:03And Irfan has some dialogue.
08:05And Rishiji has some dialogue.
08:06Whatever.
08:07And Chintuji prides himself on being the guy who.
08:11I come in the queue.
08:12I come in your queue.
08:14Irfan doesn't give a queues.
08:16Okay.
08:17He has something different in every take.
08:19So if he says something in a sentence.
08:21Then I have to give a variation.
08:23Because he feels that I have to give a variation.
08:25It has to be spontaneous.
08:26I have to give a variation.
08:27Otherwise what is the meaning of the second take.
08:29He says hello.
08:31I know you are a very big Oscar winning actor.
08:35You know.
08:36You come from whatever that Angli, Angli.
08:38Life of I.
08:39But give me my queue.
08:45So I gave him a queue.
08:47Please tell him which word you are going to hit.
08:49Yeah.
08:50So these are the great moments.
08:52This is what I want.
08:53Yes.
08:54Which I don't get anymore.
08:55You will.
08:56No.
08:57I get it with my guys.
08:58Yeah.
08:59I get it with my Gandhiji and my Nehru and my Sardar.
09:01Exactly.
09:02They are all interested in.
09:03They are so interested in the scene.
09:05And the story.
09:06And the performance.
09:08And how can I make your performance better than my performance.
09:10And all that kind of.
09:11Correct.
09:12Fantastic.