Aditya Roy Kapur on Stepping Into Tom Hiddleston’s Shoes in Disney+ Hotstar Indian Adaptation of ‘The Night Manager’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Indian actor Aditya Roy Kapur plays the titular lead in the Disney+ Hotstar Indian adaptation of “The Night Manager.”

Based on the 1993 espionage novel by British writer John le Carré, the series follows the night manager of a hotel who is recruited to infiltrate an arms dealer’s inner circle. It was previously adapted in 2016 by David Farr as a BBC/AMC series, with Tom Hiddleston playing the titular night manager and, as revealed by Variety, Anil Kapoor (“Jug Jugg Jeeyo”) as the arms dealer antagonist.

The Ink Factory, which was behind the 2016 adaptation, is also producing the Hindi-language Indian version alongside Banijay Asia. The creator of the Indian version is Sandeep Modi (“Aarya”). When Kapur was approached for the show, he was aware of the earlier production but had not watched it, something he rectified immediately.

“Tom Hiddleston’s performance is wonderful, everyone in the cast did a great job – they were all great performances and very inspiring to watch,” Kapur told Variety. “One has to find their own way into things and make sense of it for yourself. So I had to go through that process like I go through with any film and you end up arriving at a place that, just by virtue of you doing it would be unique unto yourself.”

“While it is a remake, in the adaptation Sandeep changed quite a bit as well. There were newer things and different things, to draw motivation from, and to draw from as an actor, which is interesting for the viewer as well. So, even if you have seen the [2016] series, we do have a few twists and turns and few kinds of surprises up our sleeve,” Kapur added.

Highlights of Kapur’s acting career in Bollywood so far include blockbusters “Aaashiqui 2” and “Yeh Jawaani hai Deewani,” “Fitoor,” “OK Jaanu” and “Ludo.” “The Night Manager” is the second time he has co-starred with Anil Kapoor after 2020’s “Malang.”

“We had a great time on that film and that was one of the reasons for my excitement to get on to this show, because he’s such a wonderful collaborator and so caring,” Kapur said. “For all of us, I think I can speak for Sandeep as well, it was always great to have someone who not only has the experience, but really is invested in caring about how the show’s going and wanting everything to go well.”

Next up for Kapur is “Gumraah,” directed by Vardhan Ketkar, which is due to release in April. The film is a remake of 2019 Tamil-language crime thriller “Thadam.” “I’m playing a double role in that, something I have never done before, which was a fun experience, to say the least,” Kapur said.

Kapur also has plans of acting in the U.S. and U.K. entertainment industries and is looking into securing an agent.

“The Night Manager,” which also features Sobhita Dhulipala (“Ponniyin Selvan: Part I”) in a key role, streams on Disney+ Hotstar from Feb. 17.