'Television abroad is completely different'

Deep conviction

Known for his diverse movies, Anil was recently involved with a documentary on human trafficking. This Bollywood luminary tells Metrolife that an actor worth his mettle needs to constantly reinvent himself.

The documentary titled ‘Trapped By Tradition’ is based on human trafficking and is shot in Bharatpur.

About the documentary, Anil says, “This was not something that just happened overnight. Along with the NGO, I have been working with, I had been to this village two and a half years back. So when I was asked to be a part of CNN’s freedom project, I did not think twice. I wanted to see what was happening there and what was the outcome of the effort we had put in.”

Talking about the popular television series ‘24’, Anil avers that it was the best career decision of his life. Not only did it give him an enriching experience but helped him  understand the nuances of television too.

“It was a great exposure and I got great reviews for my work in ‘24’. It was a kind of TV series that was very popular in every household in America and it just added to my body of work.”

But he says it didn’t happen without effort. The work ethic abroad is very different from here and Anil left no stone unturned to give his best shot. He explains, “Television abroad is completely different from what it is like over here. It’s very mainstream, be it in content or infrastructure, logistics, actors, or the budget. It is as good as a big budget film.”

Anil says that he will always cherish the experience of being a part of the internationally acclaimed movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. “Global cinema has a different set of standards. The content is very global-oriented and also the film pitches to a very universal audience. So when I was offered a role in ‘Slumdog..’, I had to match whatever expectations they had from me.”

About the Hindi film industry, Anil says that though it is not in the best of state,  it is definitely improving. “Movie standards in India are improving tremendously. You see a lot of films now that have global appeal and most of the movies are much better than they used to be earlier. But we still have a long way to go.”

Anil is looking forward to the release of two of his films, one of which is Priyadarshan’s Tezz. He says, “It is an out-and-out action movie and I play a police officer based in England, incharge of the anti-terrorism squad. Another movie which is in post-production stage is ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’ and I have a cameo role in it. Apart from this, I have ‘Race 2’ for which I will start shooting in October.”