Hollywood’s resurgent television industry is going to be replicated in India soon, says Anil Kapoor, star of the Hindi version of 24, an adaptation of the hit American series starring Kiefer Sutherland.
“I give it three years,” says the 59-year-old who was in Dubai last week to promote the second season of the Colors show, in which he plays Jai Singh Rathod, director of the fictional Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) who sets out to save the country.
“The entire scenario is going to change. With all these new platforms coming in, especially digitally, it’s going to be a very different place,” he says. “We just need the money to make it and people to see it. The platforms don’t matter any more.”
Kapoor in 24.
Kapoor kick-started the trend when he bought the rights to adapt 24 for a reported Rs1.50 billion (Dh82 million) — unprecedented in Indian TV history. Following the show’s debut in 2013, it received glowing reviews, with many praising it for its production value. Kapoor, who starred with Sutherland in the American show before his Indian adaptation, also became the first Bollywood star to play a lead in a TV series.
The actor has since announced he’s going to create Hindi versions of Modern Family and Prison Break.
“I found the script of 24 so good, I had to make an Indian version. As long as the material is great, stories can be adapted anywhere. We just take the essence of it and interpret it our own way,” he says. “Some of the most important films in my career have been adaptations. From my first film Woh Saat Din [1983], which was originally a Tamil film, to Beta [1992], which was a Kannada film, and Virasat [1997, originally in Tamil], good stories connect with audiences anywhere in the world.
“Martin Scorsese’s first Oscar was for an adaptation of a Hong Kong film. You just have to adapt it to their sensibility. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Sakshi Tanwar in 24.
He’s also working on two original projects that he hopes will be picked up by other countries, he says.
Kapoor, who has acted in more than 100 films, was already an established Bollywood star when he found international fame with the Oscar-winning Slumdog
Millionaire in 2008. He’s since appeared in Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011) and had a cameo in an episode of the animated series Family Guy.
During his visit to Dubai to promote 24, he also spent an eventing with an invite-only audience at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Kapoor, who was scheduled to do a ’24 Questions’ Q&A with the evening’s two MCs, went off-script and decided to give the guests a chance to ask the questions, drawing loud cheers.
He refuses to take credit for the show’s success, saying he helped put together a great team of writers, directors and a supportive network.
“My contribution is only getting the right people together,” he says.
But his commitment to 24, for which he’s also producer, also meant he had to say ‘no’ to a few international projects.
“It was a big project with major stars but I had to say no otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do justice to the show,” he says. “Films don’t need this kind of dedication and commitment. In the 200 days that I spend filming this show, I would have shot 10 films.”
“But if you see the scope and scale and the way we’ve done it, it’s no less than any other film, and I had to give it my all.”
Filming on location in Mumbai presented its own challenges, he says.
“We wanted to break out from the studios. But Mumbai is a tough city to work in with lots of challenges with permissions etc. Also we didn’t want to shoot in locations which have already been exposed. No one has ever done on TV what we did with season two in India before. When I saw the edited version, even I was taken aback. So I am very proud of it.”
Anuj Gandhi, the CEO of Colors, did not want to reveal the budget for the show but said it was equivalent to any similar show in the US.
While in season one of 24, Kapoor’s Rathod tries to save the life of a future Indian prime minister. In season two, the situation is much more dire, he says, with someone threatening to release a virus that’s going to spread and kill millions of people.
Like the American show, each episode takes place over the course of one hour, depicting events as they happen in real time.
“It’s much more dangerous, much more intense and darker. I love it. I love playing Jai Singh Rathod. It’s got a lot of meat.”
The age-defying actor says it was physically demanding too, but he’s not complaining.
“There’s a lot of running and we barely used special effects. So it’s a very physical role and much more demanding that the first season because we wanted to make it look as authentic and real as possible,” he says. “I did a lot of strength and endurance training. I have never been as fit my entire life as I have been shooting for this season. I have 24 to thank for my fitness.”
While he says he’s yet to think about season three of 24 (“Let’s first finish season two”), Kapoor will soon begin filming Mubaraka with his nephew Arjun Kapoor. Directed by Anees Bazmee (No Entry, Welcome), the “family entertainer” will see the pair play an uncle and nephew on screen, too.
Don’t miss it!
24 airs on Colors in the UAE every Saturday and Sunday at 9pm.
