Anil Kapoor to star in Indian 24 remake
Slumdog Millionaire actor Anil Kapoor is to play the lead role in the Indian remake of US hit counter-terrorism series 24.
The 53-year-old's character will mirror that of Jack Bauer, the role made famous by Kiefer Sutherland.
Kapoor, who played the quiz show host in Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, is producing the shows set in Mumbai.
"I am not playing it safe, I am playing the lead," he said. "I'm a movie star."
The actor, who has starred in more than 100 Bollywood films in the past three decades, also featured in the American 24 series playing Middle Eastern leader Omar Hassan.
"I have stuck my neck out," Kapoor told Reuters about the remake, produced by his company Anil Kapoor Film.
Director Abhinay Deo said: "We are giving them their star that they love and we are giving them subject matter which is close to them. Where can this go wrong?"
The original series started in 2001 and spanned 192 episodes over nine years.
The main set of the counter-terrorism unit is a replica of the one in the US series, according to show producers.
"My audience is the masses - the Hindi heartland, they haven't seen this, for them it'll be a novelty and something new," said Raj Nayak, chief executive officer of the Colors channel, which will air the series later this year.