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Much before the OTT revolution hit India, actor Anil Kapoor says dived into the long format with his action thriller TV series 24, which was mounted against all kinds of advice–from being turned into a daily soap to its casting being asked to change.
Based on the American series of the same name, 24 was headlined by Anil Kapoor, who featured as Anti-Terrorist Unit Chief torn between saving his family and the nation from a major terrorist attack. The show ran for two successful seasons, from 2013-2016.
In an interview with indianexpress.com, Kapoor said the Hindi adaptation of the show gave birth to some of the finest technicians working in the entertainment industry and added that there were many who doubted if heading to TV after a successful film career was even a wise choice.
“Forget India, when I was doing (projects) internationally also there were people who said, ‘You are a big movie star, why are you doing TV?’ After Slumdog Millionaire, I did 24 and I think that was the best decisions I took. The show opened doors for every technician, every assistant who were part of it.
“All of them are at the top of their game at the moment. I am seeing a lot of shows, you can see that there is a certain steam of 24 in that if it’s a thriller. They said (back then) the show is too dark, make it brighter, change the casting, it’s too fast, make it slower, people should watch it in the kitchen, make it into a daily soap. They said all kinds of things, but we stuck to our conviction.”
Kapoor, who will be next seen in Disney+ Hotstar’s The Night Manager, said pulling the plug on season three of 24–despite previous two outings bagging multiple awards– was a blunder by the channel.
“The first season won 21 awards and the second won 19. Still it was not greenlit for a third season. I think it was a blunder the channels made. Otherwise, that could have been one of the biggest shows. But what can I do, sometimes that happens. Then The Night Manager came–there were other shows offered to me as well–but I felt this was a great story, a great adaptation for India and I went with my gut.”
The Night Manager is the Hindi adaptation of John le Carre’s novel of the same name, which also led to a British series featuring Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Elizabeth Debicki and Olivia Colman.
The Indian version of the thriller also stars Aditya Roy Kapur, Shobita Dhulipala, Tillotama Shome among others. The Night Manger is created and directed by Sandeep Modi and produced by The Ink Factory and Banijay Asia. Priyanka Ghosh is attached as a co-director.
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