Anupam Kher on bagging NBC's untitled drama: There was no audition

Anupam Kher

After wrapping up his award-winning American comedy, The Big Sick (2017), along with Kumail Nanjiani, Anupam Kher is back on international shores to shoot another venture. Kher will feature in production company NBC's untitled medical drama, based on Dr Eric Manheimer's memoir, Twelve Patients: Life & Death at Bellevue Hospital.

Kher, who has bagged a prominent role as a neurologist in the sitcom, tells mid-day in the midst of shooting in Los Angeles, "The director [Kate Dennis] and producers spoke to me about the project when I was in LA last month. They told me about the role, and said they would be happy to cast me. There was no audition. I read the script and loved it."

The show sees MD-writer Manheimer, also a former medical director of NYC Bellevue Hospital, stepping in as producer. Kher admits he has not yet read the book, given that he wanted to "stick to the script". However, with the pilot episode having been recently completed, he plans to grab a copy.

Kher's Dr Anil Kapoor will be seen as one among the hospital's oldest doctors in the drama, also featuring Freema Agyeman. This venture marks Kher's second collaboration with her after Netflix's Sense8. "Working with her was wonderful, as it always is. All my co-stars and peers were always prepared. Each one of them is professional and talented. I have to work harder, because I think in Hindi, and must speak in English. The experience has been enriching."

The series also features Janet Montgomery and Ryan Eggold, among others. Meanwhile, Kher is yet to strike a balance between his Indian and international projects. "I'm looking forward to the release of Hotel Mumbai [American-Australian thriller], with Dev Patel and Armie Hammer. In India, I have The Accidental Prime Minister in my kitty. We will start shooting next month."

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