Star spotting

Had it not been for his son Harsh, actor Anil Kapoor might well have ignored director Danny Boyle8217;s offer of playing quizmaster in Slumdog Millionaire.

Had it not been for his son Harsh, actor Anil Kapoor might well have ignored director Danny Boyle8217;s offer of playing quizmaster in Slumdog Millionaire. 8220;I had not seen any of Danny8217;s work before, so when his office got in touch with mine I was a little skeptical, since offers for crossover films keep coming in all the time. Besides, I was not even the protagonist and I wasn8217;t sure how much the script would have for me,8221; says the actor.

But all that changed after a stray conversation with family members over dinner. 8220;When I mentioned Danny8217;s name, my kids jumped on me. Apparently, my son was a huge fan of his and even had posters of Danny8217;s film Trainspotting on his bedroom wall. He kind of forced me into calling them back and when they sent me the script, Harsh was the first to read it. He gave me the go ahead and I went to meet Danny in Mumbai thereafter, without having read the script or my role in it but armed with two DVDs of his films, Beach and Trainspotting, which my kids wanted autographed,8221; laughs the actor, who is now in London with Boyle to celebrate the movie winning the People8217;s Choice Award at Toronto, before being screened at the London Film Festival on September 30. The film will release in India in November.

Even though Kapoor8217;s role was first offered to Amitabh Bachchan and then to Shah Rukh Khan, he has no regrets about him not being the first choice. 8220;I am glad I did it in the end. Working with Danny was a pleasure because he is so subtle and understated. He gave me a couple of referral points8212;Al Pacino in Scarface, for instance, and then pretty much let me do my thing. If you ask me, he is the real hero of the movie,8221; he gushes.

Now that the movie is behind him, Kapoor is busy with his home production, Neeraj Vohra8217;s Shortkut, which is near completion. But before that though, there is Subhash Ghai8217;s Yuvraj, which also has Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in it. Kapoor plays a person with mental disability but is an acoustic genius.

8220;Even though it became fashionable to do such a role after Koi Mil Gaya, I was among the first to have played a person with mental disability in Eeshwar, almost 20 years back. In fact, it was even before Forrest Gump became an iconic hit. So in a way I flagged off the trend,8221; he shrugs.

Ah, well.

Paromita Chakrabarti

Paromita Chakrabarti is Senior Associate Editor at the The Indian Express. She is a key member of the National Editorial and Opinion desk and writes on books and literature, gender discourse, workplace policies and contemporary socio-cultural trends. Professional Profile With a career spanning over 20 years, her work is characterized by a "deep culture" approach—examining how literature, gender, and social policy intersect with contemporary life. Specialization: Books and publishing, gender discourse (specifically workplace dynamics), and modern socio-cultural trends. Editorial Role: She curates the literary coverage for the paper, overseeing reviews, author profiles, and long-form features on global literary awards. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent writing highlights a blend of literary expertise and sharp social commentary: 1. Literary Coverage & Nobel/Booker Awards "2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | Hungarian master of apocalypse" (Oct 10, 2025): An in-depth analysis of László Krasznahorkai’s win, exploring his themes of despair and grace. "Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2025" (Nov 10, 2025): A comprehensive guide to the history and top contenders of the year. "Katie Kitamura's Audition turns life into a stage" (Nov 8, 2025): A review of the novel’s exploration of self-recognition and performance. 2. Gender & Workplace Policy "Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy: The problem isn’t periods. It’s that workplaces are built for men" (Oct 13, 2025): A viral opinion piece arguing that modern workplace patterns are calibrated to male biology, making women's rights feel like "concessions." "Best of Both Sides: For women’s cricket, it’s 1978, not 1983" (Nov 7, 2025): A piece on how the yardstick of men's cricket cannot accurately measure the revolution in the women's game. 3. Social Trends & Childhood Crisis "The kids are not alright: An unprecedented crisis is brewing in schools and homes" (Nov 23, 2025): Writing as the Opinions Editor, she analyzed how rising competition and digital overload are overwhelming children. 4. Author Interviews & Profiles "Fame is another kind of loneliness: Kiran Desai on her Booker-shortlisted novel" (Sept 23, 2025): An interview regarding The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. "Once you’ve had a rocky and unsafe childhood, you can’t trust safety: Arundhati Roy" (Aug 30, 2025): A profile on Roy’s recent reflections on personal and political violence. Signature Beats Gender Lens: She frequently critiques the "borrowed terms" on which women navigate pregnancy, menstruation, and caregiving in the corporate world. Book Reviews: Her reviews often draw parallels between literature and other media, such as comparing Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune to the series Only Murders in the Building (Oct 25, 2025). ... Read More