MUMBAI, June 9: The first season of “24”, Anil Kapoor’s successful Indian adaptation of international TV show of the same name had stars like Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher but the senior actor says he does not like to rope in big names just for TRPs.
The actor said many celebrities had expressed their desire to be a part of the show but they opted for only those actors who suited the part in the show.
“’24’ is not a show where you can get anybody. It depends on concept, story and casting. The casting is done genuinely and organically,” Kapoor said.
“It is not that we would put or have a star just for the heck of it. It is not that the rating is going down so get a star, a celebrity guest. We don’t work that way,” he said.
“24” is based on the American series of the same name. The Indian version of the show has Kapoor playing the role of Jai Singh Rathod, an ATS Chief. His character is based on Jack Bauer from the international version.
“I wouldn’t have played the role of Jack Bauer if I was not sure I can pull it off. Even the international team felt I was perfect for the role,” he said.
“As an actor you should know your plus and minus points, there are actors who get carried away and do some roles. There are certain roles you can’t do it as it doesn’t suit you,” he added.
The season two of “24” shows that Mumbai is faced with a new threat — a virus that can destroy the city – and the Prime Minister (played by Neil Bhoopalam) gets Jai (Anil Kapoor) out of the rehab to save the city.
The 59-year-old star was very much involved when it came to working out the concept for this season.
“I have the rights for all the nine seasons. The director and writer sat down and they felt we should adapt from the third season as it is more relatable,” he said.
“I spoke to the international team about it they said they know I will not do anything that will harm the show. They just want ’24’ to be successful here. We adapted the season three. The inspiration comes from the third season,” he added.
To suit the sensibilities of Indian audiences the “Mr India” star and his team did make some changes to the plot.
“The international version (referring to the part of Jack Bauer) did not have a son and a romantic angle but I have in this. There are few other changes…We can’t reveal everything,” he added.
Some of the new faces on season two of “24” are Surveen Chawla, Sikander Kher, Sakshi Tanwar and others. The show will go on air from this July on Colors channel.
The season one of “24” which was aired in 2013 got lot of appreciation for trying out something novel on the Indian small screen. Kapoor is hopeful that people will like season 2 as well.
“Whoever I have met and whoever who has seen “24” has liked it. It was critically appreciated. We hope this season (season 2) will be more successful. In case of a film Friday matters a lot as the film releases that day, in case of “24” i will be tensed for 24 episodes. There will be pressure,” he said.
At a time when kitchen-sink dramas were doing really well on television, Kapoor’s 2013 show earned critical acclaim for its gripping storyline and finite format.
Kapoor said that while he feels proud of the show, he does not let the appreciation or criticism affect him.
“People say television (can be divided into) before ’24’ and after ’24’. It feels great when I hear people talking about the show like this. I feel happy. But I don’t get carried away with appreciation nor do I get affected by criticism,” Kapoor said. (PTI)
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