You’re most definitely aware of the success of
Slumdog Millionaire—yep, that film about an Indian boy from the slums who gets very close to winning the top prize in a quiz show, only to get flagged for allegations of cheating. And yes, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The film that almost didn’t make it to theaters ended up winning many honors during awards season over the past few months, culminating with eight wins during the Oscars—including Best Picture.
Inevitably, the attention has led the film’s mostly obscure cast to bigger fame. Dev Patel was only known for his role in the British television series
Skins, but has since taken roles in the United States. The same goes for Frieda Pinto, who was once a model but is now appearing in Woody Allen’s latest film. So what does this have to do with
24, whose high-octane action stuff is miles away from the destiny-themes theatrics of
Slumdog? Another one of the film’s stars, Anil Kapoor, is set to join the cast of the next season of the acclaimed action drama.
While Kapoor, who played game show host Prem Kumar in
Slumdog, is largely an unknown name on this side of the world, he is a big star in India. He’s a Bollywood icon, having appeared in over a hundred films, most of which have earned him critical acclaim. After three decades of working the Indian film circuit, he snags his first television role here in the United States. When the eighth season of
24 kicks off, expect to see him as a Middle Eastern political leader who arrives in the country on a peacemaking mission.
That puts Kapoor with similarly acclaimed company. We all know
24’s earned a handful of awards, and some of its past and present stars—
Dennis Haysbert,
Peter MacNicol,
Dennis Hopper, and currently,
and
Cherry Jones—have earned plaudits for their acting work on television, film and stage.
No word, of course, as to when the eighth season will premiere, but we can reveal that the seventh season’s finale of
24 will be on May 18—and it will run for two hours.
-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Fox
(Image courtesy of PR Photos)