Anil Kapoor on not being overconfident or flamboyant like his Night Manager character Shailendra Rungta

Anil Kapoor in The Night Manager 2, which released on Disney+ Hotstar on Thursday.

John le Carre’s 1993 novel The Night Manager saw a successful 2016 British television series of the same name and early this year, Disney+ Hotstar released four episodes of the Hindi adaptation, starring Anil Kapoor as a ruthless arms dealer and Aditya Roy Kapur as a night manager turned spy, with Sobhita Dhulipala and Tillotama Shome playing pivotal roles. The platform has today dropped the remaining three episodes of the crime thriller and Moneycontrol.com got a chance to interact with the cast before its release. Edited excerpts:

Season 1 of the show was appreciated for its gripping performances. What do you think this show means for your career?

Aditya Roy Kapur: That is for time to tell. It is definitely something I am very proud of. It does not happen very often that something connects across the board. This is one of the milestones of my career.

What is the one pro and one con of working with a stalwart like Anil Kapoor?

Aditya: I think the only flip side is the inferiority complex one feels because sir is definitely the hardest working person in the room. I always feel the need to pull my socks up. Apart from that, there are only positives to working with him. There is a lot to learn. I am fortunate to have gotten to work with sir for the second time — the first was in Malang (2020) — and he never ceases to amaze me. The zest with which he approaches his role and his attention to detail are unparalleled. He is a team player and wants everyone to succeed. His experience and love have been invaluable on this project.

Aditya Roy Kapur in a still from 'Night Manager 2'.

Anil, you play a character who is almost overconfident about himself. You had mentioned in an earlier interview that you are slightly nervous and anxious about taking on a challenging role. Do such roles require any special prep from you?

Anil Kapoor: Yes, certain roles do require a lot of prep, especially those which are completely opposite from your personality. I am not that overconfident or flamboyant in my real life (as his character Shailendra Rungta). I will not go to any extent to achieve what I want. There are some roles where I have to restrain myself and be understated and low-key. There are some roles which are very much the way I am, so those do not require much prep. They are a lot of fun but even they are not easy. For instance, my roles in Mashaal (1984) and Karma (1986) came naturally to me. People liked me in those characters. I did films like Beta (1992) and Mr India (1987) which required a lot of thought. My prep depends a lot on the writing and direction. I become more comfortable in an uncomfortable role when the director has the wisdom and experience and has the clarity of vision. Once we have a good filmmaker and good writing, then 70 per cent of your battle is won.

Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur in a still from 'Night Manager 2'.

The book and the script are available but does it also require a lot of imagination to play these parts?

Aditya: Yes, I think imagination is required to push yourself to see what is possible. Part of the joy of acting for me is the prep to figure out those possibilities. Anil sir probably had to take a larger leap of imagination because arms dealers don’t roam around in Bandra/Juhu (laughs), but I was lucky enough to find a night manager who I could shadow for a while and understand their head space a bit. My dad was in the Army some years ago, so I picked his brain about what that life is like. His stories from that time have seeped in me through the course of my life. One always tries to shake themselves free of the things one has done to find something new.

Anil: Yes of course, imagination is required. Everyone has their own way of building the character, emotionally, spiritually and physically. You have to work on the voice and the body language. I read the script many times, I write my lines down and do a voice recording which I send to the writer and the director. They hear me and give feedback. I watch a lot of films and think and imagine. It’s an ongoing process. For me, acting is my biggest de-stressor.  If I want to feel and look my best, mujhse acting karva lo. I was unfortunate that I could not do much theatre; that is my only regret. I have done only two plays but it is a great experience to perform live in front of an audience. That is on my bucket list. My friendship with Feroz Abbas Khan happened because we wanted to do a play together. The play got left behind and we did a film (Anil Kapoor produced Khan’s film Gandhi, My Father, 2007). One preps for a role like one would for a play. You keep doing your lines and then you come on set like clay and the director moulds you. If you have prepped really well then you can take your performance wherever you want to. Acting is like an ocean. I don’t think one lifetime is enough for me — there is so much to learn and do in my life.

Tillotama Shome in a still from 'Night Manager 2'.

Tillotama, you have done varied roles and it is difficult to box you. But is that a criterion for you — to see how different is a role from the rest of your past work?

Oh yes, I get bored very quickly. I think it comes from my childhood. My dad was in the Air Force. Every four years, we moved to a new place, went to a new school and learnt a new language. I never wanted to be an actor, but I think all that was preparation for the future. I played a maid in my first film Monsoon Wedding (2001). The representation of a class that is less fortunate was depicted in such a romantic, magic realistic way that I didn’t realise that I will have to bear the cross of having played a domestic worker and that directors could only imagine me to play a certain class. Initially, I didn’t have much of a choice. I kept taking those roles where I played marginalised characters, but as my bank balance grew and I started growing as an actor, I started feeling a sense of anger. I felt that I am making money playing a certain class I don’t belong to. I’m not poor or rich; I am just an actor and I should be allowed to play both. It took a few filmmakers to take that risk and imagine me differently. I had a completely different academic career planned and I left that for this, so I can’t make this about just a job. I can do many other things to earn money but this is something I love to do and, so, it can’t be boring. The Night Manager is also an example where Sandeep (Modi, the director) imagined me to play a character who is pitted against Mr India (laughs). I mean, this is as great as it gets! I would like to keep doing things that excite me, that make me want to wake up and go to the set.

Shobhita Dhulipala in a still from 'Night Manager 2'.

Sobhita, your character Kaveri is as glam as it gets. As someone who has gone on record to admit that you battled with self-esteem issues, how do you get into the mind space of your characters who are usually bold, unabashed, unapologetic women?

The word battle is very strong. Sure, I grew up thinking that I’m not the coolest kid on the block but that’s okay. I don’t think I was battling confidence issues but some things you say come out sounding way more aggressive in print. I was nerdy and geeky, so I didn’t think I belonged naturally in this world because it was so fantastical. Having said that, through the course of my career, I’ve had the chance to play a variety of parts — some pretty-looking, some not and I think so much is also about connecting with their conflict, what the character is dealing with, and when you focus on that, there is a certain authenticity that comes in. Confidence is not a destination but a journey. On some days, you feel great and on some, you feel like your life is over. I am just fortunate that filmmakers put their faith in me and gave me parts that are as glam as they are intense.