Acting process doesn't change much, says Aditya Roy Kapur on OTT debut

Mumbai: Actor Aditya Roy Kapur says the process of bringing a character to life for a series is no different from the movies.

The actor, who is set to foray into digital medium with the Indian adaptation of John le Carre's novel "The Night Manager", said he found the lead character "interesting" enough to take the leap.

“The acting (process) doesn’t change much on OTT. The job is pretty much the same... I always wanted to do something on OTT. I was looking for an opportunity and just needed the stars to align. 'The Night Manager' felt like the right one," Aditya told PTI in an interview here.

A series on the novel was made in 2016 with Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Elizabeth Debicki and Olivia Colman playing pivotal parts.

The 37-year-old actor said he had not seen the British show when the Indian version was offered to him, but wanted to be part of the world the team was trying to create.

"I had not watched the (original) show. I saw it (later) and loved it. I didn't think twice. I wanted to be a part of this world that they were creating and be a part of the great team. It was a no-brainer," he said, adding that Bollywood star Anil Kapoor was already on board the project when he joined and that was a "huge perk".

Best known for starring in films such as “Aashiqui 2”, “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”, “Kalank”, “Ludo” and “Malang”, Aditya described his character of "The Night Manager" as a man with a "strong moral core".

"Shaan Sengupta is an interesting character. It is tough to figure out about him as an audience as his past gets revealed slowly. He has had trauma and it was interesting to figure all that out. He has a strong moral core. He has a taste for good things. He surprises you," he added.

Dubbed as a high-octane thriller, the series is created and directed by Sandeep Modi and produced by The Ink Factory and Banijay Asia. Priyanka Ghosh serves as co-director.

Actors Sobhita Dhulipala, Tillotama Shome, Saswata Chatterjee and Ravi Behl round out the cast. “The Night Manager” will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on February 17.

On the film front, Aditya is thrilled to be reuniting with his “Ludo” director Anurag Basu on “Metro…In Dino”. The anthology film will showcase bittersweet tales of human relationships based in contemporary times.

“I am very excited. I had a great time working with him (on ‘Ludo’). He creates magic on sets. You have to come unprepared and be ready to have fun. It takes you two-three days to adjust (on his set). I am looking forward to working with him," the actor said.

Also featuring Sara Ali Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Anupam Kher, the movie will soon start filming.

“Metro... In Dino” is presented by Anurag Basu Productions Pvt Ltd and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Anurag Basu and Taani Basu.