He has done it once again. He did it with Bollywood films, he did it with his role in Danny Boyle’s Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire. And he has done it with making the crossover from mainstream Indian cinema to mainstream American TV. We are talking about Anil Kapoor, who made his prime time TV debut in the wildly popular show: 24.

In 24, Anil plays the role of Omar Hussain, the president of a Middle Eastern country. He will appear in 16 episodes of 24, which basically means you can catch him on almost every episode of Season 8 of 24 Anil is perhaps the first Bollywood actor to migrate from the big screen to the small screen in the USA. Kabir Bedi set the precedent when he moved from Hindi cinema and to the small screen in Sandokan, a wildly popular TV show in Italy. Kabir also appeared in the American soap The Bold and Beautiful.  But, Anil is the first Bollywood actor to appear in a prime time American TV show.

Slow and steady is the term that comes to mind when you look back at how Anil started his career and slowly built it into a successful one. Growing up in Chembur, home of the famous RK Studios, Anil was surrounded by films and film personalities. His father was related to “the Kapoor” family of Indian cinema.

Anil first worked as a production crew member in the mid-1970s before he decided to become an actor. He got his first break as a leading actor in South Indian films. He worked in Mani Ratham’s first film Anu Pallavi Anu, a Kannada film  followed by Vamsa Vriksham that was directed by Bapu, a well-known Telugu writer/director.

His early success in Hindi or Bollywood films were Hum Paanch (directed by Bapu and produced by Boney Kapoor, Anil’s brother) where Anil had a small role, and this was followed by blockbuster success of
Woh Saat Din, Tezaab and Mr. India. In the 1990s there was Beta, Lamhe, Taal, and Virasaat. The list continues and Anil has acted in over 100 films so far.

After 20 some years of facing the camera, Anil decided to try his hand as a producer and has made a handful of films including Badhai Ho Badhai and Gandhi, My Father.

But, it was his role in Slumdog Millionaire that catapulted Anil to international fame and brought him to the attention of Hollywood producers and directors. Ironically, Anil almost passed up the opportunity to act in Danny Boyle’s film and it was his son, who persuaded him to act in Slumdog Millionaire.

After spending 30 years in mainstream Indian cinema, Anil decided to take the plunge and move to the small screen and the result is his appearance in 24. While he is busy with this American TV schedule, Anil is also busy acting and producing Bollywood films. He is doing all this without much of a fanfare or hullabaloo. And I suspect that is the kind of person he is: a low-keyed professional, who enjoys what he does and listens to his children’s advice with an open mind. If it were not for his children Anil might not have been on Slumdog Millionaire or 24.