The Day Has Arrived: Kapoor Guest Stars on ‘24’,Anil Kapoor,24
written by indianachu
at Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The new incarnation of “24” represents a number of firsts for Bollywood’s Anil Kapoor.
“I’ve never played a president,” he explains. “It’s the first time that I’m doing television. I’ve been doing feature films for around 30 years. Not only was I excited that I was doing ‘24,’ but I was also anxious and nervous that I was doing something for the first time in my life,” Kapoor says in a video interview provided by Fox Television.
But despite Kapoor’s excellent work in the role, Indian American viewers are likely to notice one incongruous detail that many others won’t (see accompanying photo): the actor, a Hindu, wears a red string, around his right wrist — something his Muslim character would not commonly wear.
Through an intermediary, Kapoor declined to explain the wardrobe choice to India-West, but it’s something interesting to look for.
The hit action drama begins its eighth season with a two-night, four-hour special, airing Jan. 17 at 9 p.m. and Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. An advance look at the first four hours gave India-West a taste of the excitement to come as the show moves to New York City, where CTU is set in some stylish, ultramodern new digs.
Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) has finally decided to quit CTU and take up a safe, cushy consulting job when word comes that a high-level peace agreement between President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) and Omar Hassan (Anil Kapoor), president of a fictitious Middle Eastern country, is on the brink of sabotage.
Hassan — suave, elegant and always in control — is surrounded by his family: a well-scrubbed, innocent teenaged daughter, Kayla (Canadian hottie Nazneen Contractor); a bitter, loveless, yet elegant wife, Dalia (Iranian American actress Necar Zadegan) and a bright, ambitious brother, Farhad (Akbar Kurtha), who serves as his right-hand man.
“Anil Kapoor is above all else a great elegant gentleman with an amazing background,” said Cherry Jones in a taped interview. “He has a natural regalness to him which is so perfect.”
But Kapoor, an actor whose capacity for caustic visciousness was celebrated in “Slumdog Millionaire,” wouldn’t have been hired for “24” if it was just a predictable, good-guy role. Hassan, it seems, has a secret that might jeopardize the peace agreement, the wellbeing of his family, and his career.
“I don’t think the peace talks will go well at all,” said Jones. “This is ‘24’ and we’ve gotta give Jack something to do!”
In the taped interview, Kapoor says he took the role on the urging of his friends and family.
“People told me, ‘No matter what happens, you have to be on ‘24’! My son, my daughter, my friends.
“‘24’ is very popular in India. Five or six years back, I was introduced to ‘24’ by my colleagues who would watch it in their trailers.”
Speaking to an Indian wire service, Kapoor said his contract had recently been extended. “Initially I was under contract for just ten episodes,” he said. “Then seeing the way my role developed, they decided to have me in 16 episodes.” Kapoor’s role may be extended even longer than that, but the exact number of episodes was not confirmed by press time.
His decision to play a Middle Eastern character was a deliberate one, he added. “I am very clear that I won’t play Indian characters in international projects unless they're really special. I’ve told my agent to seek out parts that are not culture-specific, but have character.”
With its average of 12.5 million viewers each week, the Emmy-winning “24” has provided a stage for several leading South Asian actors since its debut in 2001. Kal Penn played a teenaged terrorist over four episodes in 2007; Ajay Mehta had a recurring, guest starring role as a Middle Eastern country’s ambassador; Ravi Kapoor had a brief, but impactful, role in the show last season; Navi Rawat appeared in six episodes in 2002; Pakistani American actor Faran Tahir (“Iron Man”) appeared from 2003-05; Bernard White, a busy actor of Sri Lankan descent, appeared in two episodes in 2003; Canadian actor and comedian Shaun Majumder played a Middle Eastern character in 2007; Lina Patel appeared in 2005; actor Kiran Rao had a role in 2005; Anil Kumar appeared in the show for five episodes in 2005 playing another Middle Eastern character; Omid Abtahi, the talented young Iranian American actor who starred as a Sikh doctor in “Ocean of Pearls,” has appeared on the show four times; Devika Parikh appeared in four episodes in “24’s” first season; and British actor Ajay Nayyar plays a CTU employee in the current season.
“I’ve never played a president,” he explains. “It’s the first time that I’m doing television. I’ve been doing feature films for around 30 years. Not only was I excited that I was doing ‘24,’ but I was also anxious and nervous that I was doing something for the first time in my life,” Kapoor says in a video interview provided by Fox Television.
But despite Kapoor’s excellent work in the role, Indian American viewers are likely to notice one incongruous detail that many others won’t (see accompanying photo): the actor, a Hindu, wears a red string, around his right wrist — something his Muslim character would not commonly wear.Through an intermediary, Kapoor declined to explain the wardrobe choice to India-West, but it’s something interesting to look for.
The hit action drama begins its eighth season with a two-night, four-hour special, airing Jan. 17 at 9 p.m. and Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. An advance look at the first four hours gave India-West a taste of the excitement to come as the show moves to New York City, where CTU is set in some stylish, ultramodern new digs.
Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) has finally decided to quit CTU and take up a safe, cushy consulting job when word comes that a high-level peace agreement between President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) and Omar Hassan (Anil Kapoor), president of a fictitious Middle Eastern country, is on the brink of sabotage.
Hassan — suave, elegant and always in control — is surrounded by his family: a well-scrubbed, innocent teenaged daughter, Kayla (Canadian hottie Nazneen Contractor); a bitter, loveless, yet elegant wife, Dalia (Iranian American actress Necar Zadegan) and a bright, ambitious brother, Farhad (Akbar Kurtha), who serves as his right-hand man.
“Anil Kapoor is above all else a great elegant gentleman with an amazing background,” said Cherry Jones in a taped interview. “He has a natural regalness to him which is so perfect.”
But Kapoor, an actor whose capacity for caustic visciousness was celebrated in “Slumdog Millionaire,” wouldn’t have been hired for “24” if it was just a predictable, good-guy role. Hassan, it seems, has a secret that might jeopardize the peace agreement, the wellbeing of his family, and his career.
“I don’t think the peace talks will go well at all,” said Jones. “This is ‘24’ and we’ve gotta give Jack something to do!”
In the taped interview, Kapoor says he took the role on the urging of his friends and family.
“People told me, ‘No matter what happens, you have to be on ‘24’! My son, my daughter, my friends.
“‘24’ is very popular in India. Five or six years back, I was introduced to ‘24’ by my colleagues who would watch it in their trailers.”
Speaking to an Indian wire service, Kapoor said his contract had recently been extended. “Initially I was under contract for just ten episodes,” he said. “Then seeing the way my role developed, they decided to have me in 16 episodes.” Kapoor’s role may be extended even longer than that, but the exact number of episodes was not confirmed by press time.
His decision to play a Middle Eastern character was a deliberate one, he added. “I am very clear that I won’t play Indian characters in international projects unless they're really special. I’ve told my agent to seek out parts that are not culture-specific, but have character.”
With its average of 12.5 million viewers each week, the Emmy-winning “24” has provided a stage for several leading South Asian actors since its debut in 2001. Kal Penn played a teenaged terrorist over four episodes in 2007; Ajay Mehta had a recurring, guest starring role as a Middle Eastern country’s ambassador; Ravi Kapoor had a brief, but impactful, role in the show last season; Navi Rawat appeared in six episodes in 2002; Pakistani American actor Faran Tahir (“Iron Man”) appeared from 2003-05; Bernard White, a busy actor of Sri Lankan descent, appeared in two episodes in 2003; Canadian actor and comedian Shaun Majumder played a Middle Eastern character in 2007; Lina Patel appeared in 2005; actor Kiran Rao had a role in 2005; Anil Kumar appeared in the show for five episodes in 2005 playing another Middle Eastern character; Omid Abtahi, the talented young Iranian American actor who starred as a Sikh doctor in “Ocean of Pearls,” has appeared on the show four times; Devika Parikh appeared in four episodes in “24’s” first season; and British actor Ajay Nayyar plays a CTU employee in the current season.
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