How did ‘24’ create a talent pool for the film industry?

Anil Kapoor has been part of the movie business for more than four decades and his ability to adapt to changing times has been one of his strengths. Today he’s not only doing some of the biggest films, but he also is smart enough to be part of the OTT trend. He’s currently part of ‘The Night Manager’ with Aditya Roy Kapur and Sobhita Dhulipala.

But the actor, who was able to foresee the trends of showbiz much before others, brought the series ‘24’ to India more than a decade ago. It was the time of daily soaps hence the show didn’t get as much traction as it would have anticipated, but still, it is considered one of the landmarks in the Indian entertainment industry.

Talking about the show in a recent interview, Anil Kapoor revealed that many names were considered for the cast of the show, but they weren’t a part of the show for various reasons. He mentioned names like Kapil Sharma, Jaideep Ahlawat, Pankaj Tripathi and Ratna Pathak Shah, who were shortlisted for the show. He also mentioned that Kapil couldn’t be part of the show as his own show took off on TV and each of those prospective actors is doing well today. He said that everyone has come a long way from then.

Kapoor also added that most people in Indian showbiz weren’t aware of concepts like writer’s room and multiple seasons, back when ‘24’ was adapted for the country.