Anil Kapoor on '24'

Anil Kapoor as Omar Hassan in '24' (Courtesy: Fox Broadcasting)

As career breaks go, Anil Kapoor’s induction into the wildly popular Fox drama ‘24’ is a quite a solid one. Kapoor, still fresh from his triumph in ‘Slumdog Millionaire”, plays Omar Hassan, “a determined Middle Eastern leader visiting the U.S. on a peacemaking mission.” He is a target of assassination by those who are opposed to his peace mission. Enter Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) to save the day. That is broadly the plot.

I have not been a 24 regular but last season I saw quite a bit of it. Despite its often unconcealed jingoism, it can be a compelling watch. In the last nine years Sutherland has internalized Bauer. As for Kapoor it is a great opportunity to keep his Hollywood ambitions on the front burner. Slumdog and his own intrinsic passion to grab the limelight gave him a lot of traction last year. The new 24 season is expected to do his career a world of good. You may even see him rise as the most successful crossover star from Mumbai.