by Suman Gupta
The second season to be premiered on 30th June
The FICCI Frames 2023, the three day media and entertainment conclave, witnessed a panel discussion on the topic of “How to Adapt International Shows Successfully?” The discussion on the 2nd day was in context with the hit Indian OTT Series The Night Manager. The panelists included Mr Anil Kapoor, Ms Sobhita Dhulipala, Mr. Aditya Roy Kapur and creator director Mr Sandeep Modi. The panelists discussed the challenges and opportunities involved in adapting international shows successfully, especially when it comes to cultural nuances and local sensibilities.
Mr Anil Kapoor shared his experiences of working in the show. He spoke about the importance of staying true to the source material while also making necessary changes to make it more relatable for Indian audiences. Talking about the adaptation and the character of Hugh Laurie, Anil Kapoor said “I saw the night manager and was totally taken back from his performance.” When asked about choosing this role he said “I go with instinct and gut, it was a no brainer.”
Anil Kapoor’s charm and humour kept the audiences entertained throughout the session. In some fun banter on stage with Aditya Roy Kapur, Anil Kapoor dropped hints about how the next season was going to be and joked that the next season he will be seen with 6 pack abs.
Sobhita Dhulipala, who played the female lead in The Night Manager, shared her experience of playing the character of Kaveri. Sobhita said “The connection with the name is to do with Water and what it represents. It can be still but deep, Her life is like currents which change with time. When asked about the representation of her identity through her character and the show, Sobitha said “I am a product of the experiences I have” and that film characters should represent feelings and emotions more than anything else.
Sandeep Modi talked about the creative process and the challenges they faced while adapting the show for the Indian audience. Sandeep said “There are more things I wanted to change than I wanted to retain” Sandeep shared his thoughts on the dialogue writing in an adaptation. He said that writing dialogues for an actor rather than a character is “ a recipe for disaster.” The conversation quickly jumped to some behind the scene stories where Sandeep spoke about Anil Kapoor’s candid nature and how he invited Sandeep at home one day out of the blue to discuss the show. Sandeep shared that “He has a laal diary where he had written all these questions for the character” while talking about Anil Kapoor’s creative process.
Aditya Roy Kapur shared his perspective as an actor and how he prepared for his role in The Night Manager. He said “It feels like it is not a copy paste job” but an adaptation that did justice to the original show. As Aditya Roy Kapur and other actors filled the shoes of some great personalities from the British show, Aditya said that “I had enough to be anxious about than be worried to fill Tom Hiddleston’s shoes”
Overall, the panel discussion shed light on the complexities involved in adapting international shows and the need for a collaborative effort to make it successful.
