Anil Kapoor is a busy man these days, packing a series of interviews without breakfast or lunch breaks. All because he is embarking on what he calls the best role of his career, that of a counter-terrorism specialist in the TV drama 24. The 56-year-old actor tells Rinku Ghosh about developing a thick skin and why he doesn’t rely on genius but plain hard work
You were fascinated by the discipline and organisation of Hollywood when you were shooting for the US version of 24 there. As a film actor, why didn’t you choose to convert that story into a film, why did you go for TVIJ
True, the grammar would perhaps have come easier to me. I did ask the American producers, who are partners even in the Indian edition, if I could have the rights to make a film. But they refused because they wanted to make the film themselves. As owners of the franchise, they have given me a list of dos and dont’s which I have to follow. The international show is into its ninth season and they are trying their best to turn the story into a film.
However, I think the 24x7 tautness and flow of the story is such that it is difficult to compress it into a two or three hours. It would look too complicated and the breakneck pace would be choking. Also, each episode is executed like a real-time experience of an hour each and each series encapsulates 24 hours of action, anxiety, emotions and the entire graph of human experience in a crisis situation.
When did you actually think of getting the television series to IndiaIJ Did you study the Indian TV market before taking the plungeIJ
The idea came to me when I was in the middle of my shoot in the American version. I was so overawed by the planning, involvement and execution that I realised that such standards needed to be emulated back home. Haven’t the best of our institutions like parliamentary democracy been inspired by the WestIJ Similarly, we have been inspired by a Western TV format and given it an Indian context, hoping it would evolve into a genre of its own.
I didn’t feel the need to study the dynamics of the Indian TV market. In the end, I am a creative person, not a business man. First, I am a filmmaker, a content creator and content facilitator. Of course, you cannot call me entirely altruistic because my venture also has to make business sense. But a big idea always works. My company, which is manned by professionals, agreed to come on board the moment they heard the concept.
The timing is right because Indian television is now the home of staples and formula and has a boring structure. It is stagnant, almost floundering. People are bored of what they are watching but the ratings are constant because there is no alternative. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a market that can be developed. Before the multiplex revolution, did anybody think that niche and independent films could make business sense tooIJ Besides, who doesn’t want qualityIJ More so in the television space where the demographic composition is extremely varied and we need to talk to all age groups. The film audience is much more segmented.
As an artiste, my job is to be that of a clutter-breaker and push the envelope of whatI already do and am sure of. The Indian 24 has a good story and script, the bedrock of success. It may be a cliche now but I am proud to say that I am a dreamer though I am not the only one (smiles).
How did you convince Howard Gordon, the original writer-producer of 24, to agree to an Indian edition IJ
Fortunately, he likes me and so I took advantage. I am lucky to have him as my mentor. He is now doing the wonderfully gripping Homeland.
How difficult was it to Indianise the storyIJ
The story of 24 is universal but set in an Indian context. The most difficult part was to convince the channels who, believe me, are usually very rigid about what constitutes business. If something runs by default too, honchos will say this is how a show should be and if the revenue is good, the show becomes a benchmark. But since 24 was in itself a big brand and I was doing television for the first time, they felt I was sticking my neck out and agreed.
You see, I have given my life to the entertainment industry. So I am taking a bigger risk than the channels because if the show fails, sab se zyada joote mujhe parenge (I will get the most brickbats). I am staking my 36-year-old career in this show. It would have been easier for me to take up a reality show as a judge and be looked upon as Anil Kapoor. I had many offers too. But as an actor, I want to see if people respond to the character of Jay Singh Rathore over Anil Kapoor. That is a huge change from a film format. In films, no matter what character I play, people have expectations of Anil Kapoor, the actor. In TV, the character matters. If I can be convincing and slip into the skin of the character, the artiste will be a winner.
How did you calibrate your actingIJ
There is a huge difference between calibrating for a two-hour film and a TV series. The story extends over 24 hours and every episode is one-hour long, which means around 200 days of shooting. So for those many days, I have to consistently maintain the same look, pitch and feel. You cover a screen time of 45 minutes in about nine days. Some films take about 100 days to be wrapped up. Here you have to finish it in 16 days. So it is a tougher job and requires more hard work. Also it’s not like you go on the set and they give you dialogues.
My daughter Rhea saw the first episode and said, “Dad, now I know when you give your best. It is when you are against the wall.” And I am against the wall in this.
You have lost quite a bit of weight too...
Yes, I have lost 6 kg. I had always thought that I was fairly trim and fit but my trainer made me take a test that revealed I indeed had fat. So I worked on my body and took to cardio, running, kick-boxing and a regimented diet. As Jay Sigh Rathore, I am required to be extremely agile and fluid in my movements.
How did you get your team togetherIJ You could have directed the project since you have a fantastic vision of how a film should come together.
Once Vidhu Vinod Chopra (his director in 1942, A love Story) told me more than a good director, he was a great coordinator. He is the one who got Sanjay Bhansali, Raju Hirani, Farah Khan, me, Binod Pradhan to showcase our best. In this show, I have followed his mantra, coordinated with the right people.
For example, I had many directors in my mind. Having worked years in the industry, I know everybody — their minds, egos, quirks, problems, pluses and minuses. Yet when I watched Delhi Belly, I knew its director Abhinav Deo had the international aesthetics. The sheer performances made that simple film a great comedy. I had seen Imran Khan’s performance in his first movie but when I saw him in Delhi Belly, I was stunned by his performance. Imran had never been so comfortable. Also, though the film was in English, it was very Indian in sensibility. I followed Abhinav though his Nike and Mumbai Mirror advertisement campaigns. I met him and he confessed to being a 24 addict. It then became easier for me to convince him.
Also, I didn’t want geniuses in my show. I wanted nice and hard-working people to give a free rein to their sensibilities rather than work with preconceived notions or bias. Had I taken on a genius, he would most definitely have said, “Sir, I think I will tweak this script a little here to fit into our scheme of things.” I needed an open mind.
The name and the franchise 24 is the same. Many people have already watched the original on satellite TV and Internet. With such a strong brand association, how will you handle the issue of originalityIJ
There are 1.2 billion people in this country and not even one per cent of them have watched the original English version. I feel modern India needs something like 24, the women in particular, who frankly in aspirational India find it difficult to relate to the regressive role-formatting on TV.
I felt it was much safer for me to make a tried-and-tested content that has been successful all over the world. So, let me at least make an entry for doing something which is out-of-the-box, something that the Indian audience has never seen. If it works, then my next plan is to create a concept which is made in India and goes all over the world. I will work on that but first let this work. I will be happiest when US studios tell me, “Sir we need the rights and we want to make this in English.”
Even today we borrow our infrastructure, logistics, institutions like Parliament and democracy from the British. We have Indianised it but the matrix came from them. So when I first heard the script of 24 in Hindi, I thought to myself, “I have been working in the industry for 35 years but nobody has ever given me such a tight, bound script.” Over here, we just believe in trial and error instead of coming up with a compact script. And yet it was written by our people. I realised then that I had indeed made a right choice.
How difficult was shooting in Mumbai and personalising it at the same timeIJ
Indeed, doing chase scenes in Mumbai is very tough but I am a hardened Mumbaikar too. I grew up in Chembur, Abhinav too was born here. So we fit everywhere from Kurla to the slums. My childhood has been spent playing in the alleys and words like jhakkaas (aptly used in Tezaab) come to me naturally. As children, we did all kinds of things, including stealing odds and ends from shops at Masjid Bunder. We would travel ticketless in local trains and hide when the TT would come to check. We would even try to get a seat in the ladies compartment when it was really empty and nobody was looking. So for us to shoot in Mumbai was not such a big struggle. When I was shooting in lalbaugh, I could just shoo the crowds away. And they told me, “Anil bhai, you shoot befikar (without any tension).” I have a personal connect with so many people and places that I think the real Mumbai breathes easily in 24
TV business in India depends heavily on TRP instead of the quality of viewership. How do you propose to win the battle of perceptionIJ
I remember when Aamir Khan did Satyameva Jayate on a Sunday morning, the TRPs weren’t that great but he received a very positive feedback from the public. Sometimes when you do something out-of-the-box, you must wait for the public feedback and by that I don’t mean the ones on Twitter, instant judgements that are made to look or sound nice rather than be a sounding board. Those that follow a herd mentality than willing to voice a honest opinion.
Sometimes when our films release, people try to demoralise us on purpose and say things like, “You shouldn’t have done the movie as your role is not powerful.” Sometimes a film critic, who is a friend of some other actor, tries to bring you down, demotivate you. I have been in this situation so many times that I have become thick-skinned. People like us know what is genuine and what is not. If the channel wants me to do a second season, that means my show is successful. There is no absolute barometer today, everything is relative.
You have played an array of stand-alone characters even as a hero in your films. Would you still say your television role is giving you the most satisfactionIJ
In a way, yes. This morning a guy warned me that since I was working for a fiction show on television, I would get stuck in it and not find time for other projects. I told him, “Pray for me that I play Jai Singh Rathore my whole life.” The thing is that I have many options before me. I get roles from around the world. So, I am not insecure about my position. It’s just that Jay’s character is so rounded and multi-dimensional, you cannot afford such layering and texture in most films.
So, are you saying no to films at the momentIJ
Not at all. In fact, some days ago Rhea asked me, “Dad, how do you do it yaarIJ For one-and-a-half years, people are running behind you to sign you up. You are neither saying yes or no. How have you managed to not sign a single filmIJ” Interestingly nobody has run away. They are at present waiting for me to get free.
If you know your work and are looking reasonably good, you can work ceaselessly. You get stuck when you’re good-looking but don’t know your craft. If you know your work, you will still be admired and find opportunities despite so-called barriers. There was a time when people didn’t consider me star material. When my acting delivered the goods, they thought maybe I was star material. Even today, in a multi-talented format, I am never put up against a reigning superstar in a single frame. Because they know I can do much better and steal the thunder from under the star’s nose. I have volunteered screen time with the hero or the protagonist. But then the director says almost apologetically, “No sir, we can’t posit you that way.” This means I am in a position of strength purely on the basis of my skill.
Do you think talent is developing the way you wanted to in this industryIJ
I don’t belong to that school of giving opinions. I have not reached that stage as an artiste, I am still a student of art. But going by some films these days, I am glad that directors have started looking beyond the face and abs and casting people with talent. Ultimately, talent takes over and I am happy this has happened in my lifetime.
In the television space, we can’t afford non-actors at all because we need somebody who can deliver up, close and personal. You have to hold the viewer’s attention while balancing your skill with the ensemble around you. So my show is a great mix of newcomers, television personalities and Bollywood actors.
I am working with one of my favourites — Shabana Azmi. She was the easiest to get on board. She was so excited about this new format that she told me if there was anything for her to do, I should let her know. Also, my friend Anupam Kher. He agreed to be in the serial straightaway without asking any questions. He came straight on the sets after having travelled for almost 36 hours. He’s crazy!
At this time of our careers, people take us to be seasoned. But this show has given us something to be mad about equally. The material is so terrific. I can’t tell you the kind of excitement we feel while shooting. So, we are all taking a risk lovingly. And whenever I have taken a risk, it has worked wonders for me.
A lot of time, an artiste’s passion and self-confidence is misunderstood in the industry. For example, if you are great at interviewing, I wouldn’t mind calling you up and ask you to interview me again. I call you because I respect your work. Some people in our industry do not understand that. If I call up a director wanting to work with him, he thinks I am not getting work. His ego overlooks the fact that I have many options before me.
I work egolessly. If anybody tells me, “Sir, you are doing it, we will decide the price later,” I will jump into the fray whole-heartedly. What is life without the spiritIJ.