Anil Kapoor

This article's subject relates to Season 1 of 24.This is a production article written from an out-of-universe perspective

 Role:

**Anil Kapoor** (born December 24, 1959; age 64) is an Indian actor and producer who played Jai Singh Rathod in *24*. Prior to his work on the Indian show, Kapoor played Kamistani President Omar Hassan in the eighth season of the original American series.

## Early life

Anil Kapoor was born in Chembur, Mumbai, India. He is the son of film producer Surinder Kapoor and Nirmal Kapoor. Anil has two brothers, Boney and Sanjay, and a sister, Reena. Boney is currently a film producer, while Sanjay is also an actor. Anil attended Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School, in the Chembur suburb of Mumbai, and then St. Xavier's College in Mumbai.

In 1984, Anil married Sunita Kapoor (née Bhambhani). They have two daughters, Sonam and Rhea, and a son, Harshvardhan. Kapoor's eldest daughter, Sonam, is an actress while Rhea attended school in New York and is now a producer in Mumbai.

## Career

### 1980s-1990s

Anil Kapoor made his film debut with a brief appearance in the 1979 film *Hamare Tumhare*. His first lead role was in the 1983 film *Woh Saat Din*, which was produced by his father, Surinder. He also gained recognition in Bollywood for his role in 1984's *Mashaal*. His performance of a vagabond earned Kapoor his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Kapoor's success continued through the 80's as he earned another Filmfare Award, this time for Best Actor, for his role in 1985's *Meri Jung*. Other films in which he appeared during the early years of his career were *Tezaab*, *Eeshwar*, *Kishen Kanhaiya*, *Beta*, *1942: A Love Story*, and *Virasat*. During this time, he was a nominated for a total of 5 Filmware Awards, winning 4 of them.

### 2000s

Kapoor started the new millennium with the same success, with acclaimed roles on films like *Taal*, *Bulandi*, *Pukar*, *No Entry*, and *Welcome*. These films earned him four additional Filmware Award nominations, as well as from the International Indian Film Academy.

However, Kapoor is most widely recognized in America for his first international role, in Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning film *Slumdog Millionaire* (2008). The film gave Kapoor more recognition around the world, as well as critical acclaim for his performance.

### *24*

In 2010, Kapoor was set to appear during Season 8 of the original American *24*. He was cast to play the role of Omar Hassan, the President of a fictitious Middle-Eastern country called the Islamic Republic of Kamistan. Kapoor was part of the main cast of the show. His character appeared in fifteen episodes, and was integral to the overall plot of the season.

Kapoor runs his own film company, the Anil Kapoor Film Company, and in 2011 they bought the rights to make an Indian adaptation of *24*. Kapoor starred as the lead "Jack Bauer" character, called Jai Singh Rathod. In a November 2012 interview for The Hollywood Reporter, Kapoor said the following about the adaptation:

*“[t]he Indian Jack Bauer is also constantly torn between the family and the country. He has an army background which we have maintained and the show will have an anti-terrorist cell like the original's CTU ... It will be very real and related to the Indian ethos. Most of the show will be shot on real locations in Mumbai, a city which has witnessed many incidents considering it is India's commercial capital. There will be scenes with hundreds of thousands of people ... this is going to be one of our big scale budgeted shows – as big as one of our non-fiction reality shows ... They have been very supportive and helping us. We will have some production crew coming in from LA for stunts and action. And even the Indian talent is of international calibre. Some of the show's original producers have come over and the idea is to have the same kind of work culture and value systems which I experienced during my stint on* 24*. This wouldn't have happened without the support of [producer and showrunner] Howard Gordon and Marion Edwards.”*
## External links

* Anil Kapoor at the Internet Movie Database
* Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) on Twitter
* Anil Kapoor's confirmation of Season 2
* Fall 2012 interview with Kapoor on Hindi 24 show
* Behind the scenes of 24 India- video production diary