Show me the inspiration

Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor studied Mahatma Gandhi and Barack Obama for his Hollywood debut playing a Middle Eastern leader in the hit TV drama 24.

Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor studied Mahatma Gandhi and Barack Obama for his Hollywood debut playing a Middle Eastern leader in the hit TV drama 24.

The Slumdog Millionaire star said that he delved into the lives of legendary world leaders so that his performance in the show was convincing.

“I researched all the speeches of all these great leaders from Mahatma Gandhi to (Nelson) Mandela, Martin Luther King, (Barack) Obama and (Bill) Clinton,” the New York Post quoted him as saying.

The actor’s performance in the Emmy award-winning show has been given a thumps up by critics, but Kapoor said that he was nervous about the audience’s reaction.

“It’s the first time that I’m doing television. I’ve been doing feature films for around 30 years. Not only was I excited that I was doing 24, but I was also anxious and nervous that I was doing something for the first time in my life,” the actor said in an interview.

Kapoor was all praise for his co-star Keifer Sutherland, saying that working with him was an “amazing” experience.

“If I was in his place, I’d have been bored and tired after working in the same role for years. But it seemed every day it was the first
day of the shoot for him,” he said.