Anil Kapoor playing game show host in 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Mumbai, March 31 (IANS) Fresh from the success of Anees Bazmi's "Welcome", Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor has taken a cultural leap into British director Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire". He plays a game show host in the movie.

However, he denies that his character is based on Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan in "Kaun Banega Crorepati" (KBC).

"No, it's nothing like them. Boyle has devised my character as completely different from Amitji and Shah Rukh in KBC. They brought their own sensibility, personality and stardom into the part. I think Boyle wanted me because I was a completely different actor from Amitji and Shah Rukh," Anil told IANS.

"I'm playing the game show host in my own way. I speak the English language without any accent. The danger of an Indian actor doing an international project is the accent tilts either to being exaggerated or too sophisticated. I'm speaking my lines as I would have if I was actually hosting a game show in real life," he added.

The National Award winning actor gives credit to his son for his first international project.

Interestingly, Anil wasn't too familiar with Boyle's work, best known for his films like "Trainspotting", "28 Days Later" and "Sunshine", when he was offered the role.

"It was my son Harsh who convinced me. He is a big fan of Boyle. When you enter his room, there's a poster of Boyle right at the door," said Anil, who vowed the audience with his performance in films like 'Black & White', 'Viraasat' and 'No Entry'.

"When Harsh heard I was offered a role in a Boyle's film, he told me I had to do it. Fortunately, for me the role is substantial and interesting. Even if it wasn't, I'd have done it for my son's sake," he added.

Anil is characteristically charged about it.

He said: "Normally, when I start any film, I get as nervous as a schoolboy on his first day of school. But 'Slumdog Millionaire' is special on many counts. It's my first international film after 35 years in the industry.

"Though I've worked with Shekhar Kapur, it was before he became an international filmmaker. So Boyle is my first international director."

After shooting portions of it in Agra, the auteur director is currently shooting the rest of the film, which is screen adaptation of Vikas Swarup's best selling novel "Q and A", in Mumbai.

London-based Indian actor Dev Patel, who starred in the hit teen series "Skins", plays the young lead of the game show contestant who appears on Anil's show and proceeds to win.

Currently, Anil is busy reading up the novel by Vikas Swarup in-between the shots. "All I can tell you is that the film is very different from the novel."

• Celebrity News