Struggling actor Manoj Bajpayee auditioned for the role of Paresh Rawal's henchman in Daud, and Varma asked him if he had done any other film work; Bajpayee mentioned his supporting role in Bandit Queen.[10] Varma, impressed by his performance in Bandit Queen, said that he wanted to give him a bigger role and advised him not to do Daud.[10] However, Bajpayee wanted to appear in the film and Varma agreed.[10] After filming was completed, Varma told Bajpayee that he regretted giving him a minor role and promised him a prominent role in his next film.[11] Bajpayee suggested newcomer Anurag Kashyap's name to Varma for the screenplay.[12] Varma liked Kashyap's Auto Narayan, and signed him to write the script.[13] Although Kashyap was already writing the film, Varma felt that he needed a more experienced writer and asked Saurabh Shukla.