Anil Kapoor on board M:I:IV

The jhakaas actor’s performance in TV series 24 has lead him to play a pivotal part in the next franchisee of the Tom Cruise espionage series, Mission Impossible.

All those Bollywood actors who turned down the role of the quiz show host in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire regretted their decision when the film went on to win a handful of Oscars. Anil Kapoor, who eventually essayed the character of Prem Kumar, had the last laugh. He went on to bag the television show 24 and now has been signed on to play a pivotal part in the next franchisee of the Tom Cruise espionage series, Mission Impossible.



Apart from Cruise, who returns as Agent Ethan Hunt of the Impossible Mission Force, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Vladimir Mashkov, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg have been confirmed for the thriller to be helmed by Brad Bird. Another recent addition to the cast, along with Kapoor, is Lea Sedoux, who featured in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards.

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Anil

When contacted, Kapoor remained tight-lipped about his role. "At this point, I can only say that I have been contacted for Mission Impossible IV and I have said yes," was all he was willing to say. Earlier, it was being said that Kapoor would be one of the bad men. But a friend of the actor clarified that he has "an integral role" in Cruise’s Agent Hunt. "His character adds to the suspense and is a major turning point in the movie," reveals the friend.



Apparently, Kapoor’s performance as Omar Hassan, President of the fictitious Islamic republic of Kamistan, in the television series 24, was what landed him this plum part.

Other B’town actors’ hollywood adventure
Kabir Bedi (Octopussy (1983))
Amrish Puri (Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984))
Naseeruddin Shah (The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003))
Anupam Kher (Se, Jie aka Lust, Caution (2007))
Satish Kaushik (Brick Lane (2007))
Irrfan Khan (A MightyHeart, Slumdog Millionaire (2007))
Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire (2008))
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (The Last Legion (2007), The Pink Panther 2 (2009))
Mallika Sherawat (The Myth (2005), Politics Of Love (2011)