In July 2026, India saw a new generation of citizens demanding answers for how their country was being governed. As one would expect, opinions varied on the protest and the government’s response, but one thing was clear, the CJP-led protest lit a new spark in a system that needs to be questioned every so often. Even 25 years ago, when Shankar made Anil Kapoor-starrer Nayak, it was a common man seeking answers from a system that has repeatedly failed its citizens. The film might have been a flop back when it was released but in the two and a half decades since then, Nayak has become one of the most watched films on television, and has found itself being repeatedly discussed in comparison to real-life political scenarios.

In the film, Anil Kapoor plays a reporter, Shivaji Rao, who asks some tough questions to the Chief Minister of the state of Maharashtra during a live interview. The CM is put on the spot and challenges him to run the state for 24 hours. When the country actually witnesses an honest, hard-working CM at work, Shivaji is asked to become a full-time politician and ends up sacrificing his parents, his personal life and at one point, even his morality.

When real-life mirrored Nayak

Millennials grew up watching Shivaji Rao (Kapoor) taking on Balraj Chauhan (Amrish Puri) in a live interview where he calls out the CM about his corrupt practices and inability to govern the state. A few years after the film’s release, when a reporter confronted a sitting CM about the lack of governance in his state, Nayak was seen as the reference point. Even when a former civil services officer decided to jump into politics after a massive corruption scam was unmasked, people saw it as a Nayak-esque move. The film made a huge impact on pop culture, and almost became a voice for those who had completely lost faith in politics. But all of this happened only a few years after the film’s release as it flopped as soon as it came out in theatres.

Paresh Rawal and Anil Kapoor in Nayak.

Why Nayak flopped?

Earlier this year, the producer of Nayak, AM Rathnam, was asked about the same, and he said that the world wasn’t in a state to watch films when Nayak released, and for completely valid reasons. Nayak released on September 7, 2001, and on September 11, 2001, the World Trade Centre collapsed in New York in one of the most shocking terrorist attacks of all time. India was still fairly new to the 24/7 news cycle and watching the visuals day in and out made Indians tremble with fear because even though the attack was miles away from us, it felt like an attack on humanity. No one in the world was thinking about watching movies, and so Nayak was completely ignored.

“When Nayak was released, in its first week, the tragic 9/11 attacks happened. The terrorist attacks in America shook the entire world, and total attention was shifted to these incidents. In satellite, it (Nayak) is a big hit. People who didn’t watch it in cinemas later watched it on TV. But yes, the theatrical business got affected due to the September 11 attacks,” he told DNA.

Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan were approached before Anil Kapoor

Nayak was a hyped project back when it was still being made. Shankar’s popularity back then could be compared to SS Rajamouli’s in the post-Baahubali days. He already had a few Tamil superhits under his belt and while these films were released in the north in the dubbed versions, their music had made them extremely popular. So when Shankar decided to make his first Hindi film, it became a coveted project right from the start, even though this was going to be a remake of his Tamil film Mudhalvan. Anil Kapoor, however, wasn’t Shankar’s first choice for the film.

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In a 2001 interview with Filmfare, Shankar revealed that he had first approached Aamir Khan for the title role but they “faced a huge communication gap.” He then approached Shah Rukh Khan, who also refused. “Shah Rukh was more receptive than Aamir but he begged off, saying that since he had played a television reporter in his home production Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, which had just been released, he wasn’t keen on taking on a similar role at such a short interval.” Even though SRK did not take on the lead role, he was present at the film’s music launch as a special guest, and showed his support for Shankar and Anil.

Shah Rukh Khan and Anil Kapoor at Nayak’s music launch.

Anil was going through one of the best phases of his career when he landed Nayak. He had just won his first National Film Award for Rajkumar Santoshi’s Nayak. Shortly before that, he had appeared in Virasat and Taal, and had gotten some appreciation for Biwi No 1 and Deewana Mastana. Anil had tried every kind of genre, and almost everything was working for him. It was his brother Boney Kapoor, who was the producer of Nayak, who suggested Anil’s name to Shankar. “I’d heard that Anil was one of the most disciplined actors in the Hindi industry, and so I decided to sign him on. My gamble has paid off. Anil Kapoor has completed my film in record time, and he showed a level of discipline which I thought was there only down South,” Shankar told Filmfare.

Political parties asked Anil to back them

As one would expect, Anil was showered with offers from political parties after Nayak. Earlier this year, in a chat with on Expresso, the actor revealed that many political parties offered him a spot, which he declined, for he believed that he could not give his 100 percent. “I don’t have it within me to give it my full commitment,” he said.

Like most successful films, there has been some conversation around Nayak’s sequel, and earlier this year, Bombay Times reported that the project was in the early stages of development, as co-producer Deepak Mukut assured that Anil would return for the sequel. However, there haven’t been any updates since then.

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Nayak is fondly remembered for the interview sequence and the idea that a common man has the power to change the system, but even that change comes with a few compromises. The film’s end makes it a bit utopian, but if nothing else, Nayak feels hopeful.