'Slumdog Millionaire is out of my life.' Anil Kapoor on how he's moved on to adopting a British accent for an American TV thriller 24
'Slumdog Millionaire is out of my life.' Anil Kapoor on how he's moved on to adopting a British accent for an American TV thriller 24
Anil Kapoor's role in the American TV series 24 is fetching him some of the best reviews of his career. The Los Angeles Times gave him a big thumbs up ("New blood is what keeps this show in motion, the most promising this season is Anil Kapoor"), while Entertainment Weekly called him "the wonderful Anil Kapoor".
A lot has changed in Anil's life. 'Tu samajh raha hai, na?' has been replaced by 'You get my point?' but Anil is still the consumed-by-his-work actor I have known since the Rachna days.
Anil sips black coffee in his Juhu bungalow and I gulp down fresh lime with soda (I would have preferred it sweet, not salty but don't want to break the flow of conversation) while I tune into his musings about his latest high, 24.
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Would you say Slumdog Millionaire changed your life?
To be honest, Slumdog Millionaire is out of my life. It is better that I don't think or talk about it. In life, I like to be constantly on the move. Slumdog has become a huge phenomenon and left a major impact. But it has been tough for me to let go of it because people keep talking about it.
I have a specific reason for talking about Slumdog. I want to know if you think you would have landed the TV serial 24, if you hadn't been seen and appreciated in Slumdog.
No way. I got a head-start because of the exposure, success and critical acclaim that accompanied Slumdog. I can't deny that there are better and greater actors all over the world. But nothing succeeds like success.
Had you heard of 24 before it was offered to you?
I had heard about it from Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna and Shah Rukh Khan. They spoke about it.
But had you seen any episode of 24?
In London, I had seen huge posters of 24. And the DVDs of 24 were all over the shops. For me, it was a show done by Kiefer Sutherland, who was supposed to marry Julia Roberts. Later, I came to know that Kiefer had gone through a lull in his career and 24 did for him what KBC did for Amitabh.
If you were to recap 24 in a line, what would you say?
It is drama, obviously. It's an action-packed political thriller with a character, Jack Bauer, who is Bond-like, but more real, more humane; not as cold and steely.
In the show's current season, you are playing the President of an imaginary country.
It is a fictitious country which is definitely in the Middle East ... they do not name it as Iraq, Iran or Afghanistan.
Do you have a substantial role?
I'm the lead, yaar.
Were you required to speak with a Middle Eastern accent?
No. I had prepared my dialect but after the first meeting they said, 'You have a pretty good British accent and we want to pitch your character as a guy who studied in the Middle East but is familiar with the English accent.
So you spoke in a manner akin to the way you are speaking to me right now?
Yes, but I had to be conscious that I do not like sound like an Indian. We speak certain words in English in a manner that sounds Indian. I had to be very careful about not doing so. I was conscious about that all the time.
What has been the response you have garnered?
I have been singled out in all the reviews.
Did your agent, David Unger (also the agent of Mickey Rourke), get you 24?
It was not through him; I had already got the offer because of Slumdog Millionaire. I met the people at Fox through a friend. The meeting was not for 24 but because I was meeting all the executives of the Hollywood studios, including Disney. The doors had just opened so I did not need an agent to meet people at that time.
Anil Kapoor and Slumdog would immediately get me an appointment.
In America, Indian actors usually get to play Asians or Latino parts, but not the so-called regular roles.
Things are changing definitely.
Do you foresee an Indian actor ever getting as lucky as the Egyptian actor, Omar Sharif?
The world is shrinking. Yes, there will always be a limitation where the roles are concerned but ... you never know. One has to be optimistic. However, more than me, others are going to benefit from the success of Slumdog Millionaire.
Why do you say 'more than me'? I think you mean 'as much as me'.
No, I mean 'more than me'.
Please elaborate.
It is always like that. For instance, Lata Mangeshkar was the first to do shows internationally and Amitabh benefitted from it. Later, Shah Rukh benefited more than Amitabh. Someone opens the door and the youngsters, people who follow, benefit.
But I have always done things differently. You had once written that I'm always ready to bite the dust and therefore take chances. When I did 1942, people said he did a flop film only because it didn't do well in a couple of centres. Today, if a film does well only in Imax, they call it a superhit.
Okay, what was so different or exciting about 24 that motivated you to take it up?
It already had a cult following, it was a success and I was excited by the thought that it would come immediately after Slumdog. I did not have to wait.
Since you were shooting with a new setup, were you nervous initially?
No no u2026 nothing like that. I went with the attitude that these guys can learn a lot from me (laughs). All these guys have done may be 10 to 30 films, while I have the experience of 100 films!
Did you have to adapt to a less showy style of acting?
Not me. I was always the odd man out when I started my career.u00a0 During the making of Meri Jung, Subhashji and the sound-recordist would come to me and say, "This English style of acting won't do. Throw your voiceu00a0...
project!' I would say, "Yeh meri maa hai" and Subhashji would scream and forcefully say, "Yeh meri maa hai" (laughs). We were catering for single screen audiences, the rickshawwallas etc.
You are producing No Problem. You seem to have a rapport with Anees Bazmi this is your third film with him after No Entry and Welcome!
I have a rapport with everybody, yaar. I have done a couple of films with Vinod Chopra too. Anees Bazmi is a far superior director than most of the so-called modern directors.
Don't you think he makes massy films?
No. He makes films, yaar. What is massy or classy? His is a different ball game. To a certain extent Aamir understands that and that is the reason he does a Raja Hindustani and Dil besides a 3 Idiots. Mr India and the Anees Bazmi kind of films are commercial films. Since we are children of film producers, we understand that is important to work with a mix of modern young directors and directors whose films have a worldwide appeal.
Your daughter Sonam is even more selective than you are.
Yes, she is. She can afford to be. I had to compromise here and there but she does not need to.
How involved are you in her career? Do you let her take her own decisions?
We all are involved in each other's lives. But my kids are more involved in my career than I am in their careers.
Mothers always take more pride in their children's achievement than their husbands. Does Sunita take more pride in Sonam's achievements?
300 per cent. She is not interested in what I do. She did not even come for the Oscars, yaar. She said she could not leave her children in the country for some Oscar-Woscar. On the eve of the Oscar night, we were discussing some offer that had come for Sonam and an award night which they wanted her to compere.
u00a0
Finally, how confident are you that 24 will lead to bigger things?
I am very sure. But I would like to reiterate, my success will benefit the others even more.
People get excited about our films making Rs 100 to 200 crores. It's nothing. In the coming years, the maximum revenue is going to come from films released in India and China. People all over the world are going to be watching films made by India and China.
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