Actor-Producer Anil Kapoor is in an enviable position. He is doing some- thing that many of his highly successful Hollywood/Bollywood counterparts do; he pro- duces in addition to con- tinuing an acting career played at an admirable level.
Only megastars tend to take on producing as that involves finance and a great amount of organisa- tional ability.
It demonstrates his clout; especially bringing American series 24 tri- umphantly to India. Anil’s role in Slumdog Millionaire cemented his international reputation and he has walked into Hollywood as well as Bollywood in roles of his own choosing since then.
He talked to the Asian Voice Leading Lights col- umn in a side room at the British Film Institute recently as a special guest at the launch of the BFI India-UK film season in celebration of the 70- year anniversary of Independence.
Anil had come to the UK to act in an Indian film called Mubarakan.
He explained the meaning of the title. “It’s like saying ‘congratula- tions.’ Or ‘all the best’ when you wish someone; ‘god bless.’ It’s a comedy-drama. There’s a lot of drama and I play a British Asian charac- ter whose name is Kartar Singh. It’s about cross cul- ture, about Indians living here, in England, and of course Indians living in Punjab. How they have this great big fat Indian wed- ding in London. There’s situational comedy, a lot of songs, a lot of things hap- pen.”
The wedding scenes were shot in Gravesend in a real gurudwara, much to the joy of the local popula- tion and its town council.
Anil loved his role. Mubarakan was written and directed by Anees Bazmee and produced by Sony Pictures Network Productions, Murad Khetani and Ashwin Varde.
Anil Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor will portray their real-life relationship of uncle and nephew in the film.
Anil is enthusiastic
“Hmm, I love my role! It’s the first time time I’m playing a Sikh. These are these two things and of course the director of the film. I’ve done a lot of films with Anees Bazmee. I’ve done Welcome, No Entry, so we have a good track record of successes. Hopefully, this time also, it will be successful.”
A courageous hit for Anil Kapoor has been 24, the Indian television drama based on the American series of the same name. The Hindi language show is written by Rensil D'Silva, Bhavani Iyer, directed by Abhinay Deo and produced by Ramesh Deo.
The Hindi version of 24 is the first adaptation of the show, the India rights for which were acquired from Fox and 24 producer Howard Gordon by the Anil Kapoor Film Company. In November 2011, Kapoor's production house signed a $20 million deal to adapt the series for India. Kapoor plays the lead role in the series, which is set in Mumbai.
Kapoor, who acted in the American version of 24 playing President Omar Hassan, bought the official rights in November 2011. The show aired in Hindi and was also dubbed in various regional languages. India is the first country outside the US to get rights to adapt the show K a p o o r holds the r i g h t s for 192 episodes for four y e a r s , extendable to another ten! It’s a winning deal and he is clearly passionate about the series.
While Anil extended himself to bring 24 to India, acting still has the edge on producing for him. “Well, my first passion is acting of course but there is certain content, that when I come across material- to keep the aesthetics, to keep the integrity of the material, then I feel that I’ll be the best person to produce it. So I go ahead and do it. So 24 is one of those materials that I felt I should produce rather than giving it to someone else to produce. So it is about getting the right people in to c o l l a b o r a t e and that was my job. Getting the right team together. So far it’s been fantastic both the seasons, yes.”
Anil Kapoor could be said to have reached the top of his tree but he is still humble. Asked about the difference he finds between acting in India and acting in the west, he says that he admires the organisation, communication and smooth running of, for instance, British film production crews, compared to their sometimes more chaotic Indian counterparts.
