Edited By: Bohni Bandyopadhyay
Last Updated: February 17, 2023, 19:11 IST
Anil Kapoor is playing an antagonist in The Night Manager. (Photo: Instagram)
The Night Manager director Sandeep Modi calls Aditya Roy Kapur and Anil Kapoor the ‘pillars’ of his show.
Starring Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sobhita Dhulipala and Tillotama Shome in the lead, The Night Manager is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The show released on Friday, February 17 and is getting a positive response from the audience. What has surely become a talking point are the brilliant performances by its star cast. And therefore, we asked the show’s director Sandeep Modi about his decision of casting Aditya, Anil and Sobhita in the lead.
Modi called Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur ‘pillars’ of the show and explained how they fit perfectly into their respective roles. “Firstly, it was the script that lead it. The fact that we needed an antagonist with a charisma and someone who will look like a rich billionaire masquerading as a philanthropist – Anil sir was perfect for the part. On the other hand, Adi (Aditya Roy Kapur) is a such a joy to work with. His role is like a chameleon. There are so many layers to it,” the director told us.
Sandeep Modi further talked about casting Sobhita Dhulipala for his show and revealed how he knew that she would be perfect for the role when he began working on the script. “Sobhita is a mysterious woman who is caught between both men. Right from day one, when I wrote the scene, I always thought that it has to be Sobhita. Normally, it happens that by the time you finish writing, you almost change your mind. But this was something which stayed through, right from the first moment to the last,” he shared.
During the interaction, The Night Manager director also heaped praises on Anil Kapoor. Asked if the JugJugg Jeeyo actor is still a tough competition to all young talents in the industry, Modi agreed and said, “I think he is. At 4 am, when I’ll be dying to finish shooting to go to bed, the energy he has to do his scenes, wakes up everyone. He is amazing. I think he also knows when it’s required and when it’s not required. He has a switch in him. He can switch from a 40-year-old to 14-year-old with a switch of a button. He can become a 60-year-old also, with a lot of experience.”
However, Sandeep Modi also clarified that Anil Kapoor is not a ‘bundle of energy’ all the time and added, “He knows when the energy is required. He is such a team player. He knows when his experience is needed, or when a 60-year-old man or a 14-year-old child is needed. He knows exactly what’s happening. I love him.”
Sandeep Modi also called The Night Manager ‘a dream’ while explaining how a good story is more important than good casting. “If you can get a big starcast with a great story, it is a dream for me. What a solid story and the best of talents, not just from India but from across the world,” he concluded.
