Kapoor
For all my Indian friends, you can catch Anil Kapoor in this season of 24. He plays President Omar Hassan, of the Islamic Republic of Kamistan (it’s near Delhi). Crossing over as they say, Kapoor is riding the trend of 24’s success to re-introduce himself to American audiences. You can watch 24 for free over Hulu.com – if you can get a steady internet connection – or at Fox itself.
Americans will remember Kapoor from Slumdog Millionaire: he played Prem Kumar, the host of Kaun Banega Crorepati (Who Wants To Be A Milliionaire).
Trivia:
Jack Bauer likes to borrow actors who’ve been in other “24 meets Bourne Identity”-style films. If you look close, you’ll recognize the actor Akbar Kurtha (below) who plays President Hassan’s (Kapoor) brother Farhad. Kurtha played Prince Meshal Al-Subaai in the film Syriana – the younger Prince who needed “the cats paw” and who took over the kingdom from his father, much to his older brother’s dismay.
Kurtha
Syriana was based on 2 books by Robert Baer. Did you catch Baer’s cameo in the film?
More interestingly, is that Kurtha’s brother in Syriana, Prince Nasir al-Subaai – the older brother who gets blown up in the Range Rover – also had a significant role in 24 too. His name is Alexander Siddig and he played Hamri Al-Assad in Season 7.
Siddig