Anil Kapoor emerged as the star of Jeremy Renner’s documentary series Rennervations but do you know the Indian superstar was not the only option? During an exclusive conversation with News18.com, the showrunner Patrick Costello revealed to us that they were also considering some popular actresses but after considering the hold the actor has over the people, he turned out to be the perfect choice for the show.
In the show, Jeremy Renner and his team of expert builders reimagine decommissioned vehicles and rebuild them into new, useful creations that serve communities around the world. One part of the series is shot in India with Kapoor. Talking to us, Patrick shared his experience of working in India and with Anil Kapoor.
Excerpts:
What gave birth to this idea?
The show actually had a different pathway for the viewers than a normal show. In normal shows, you tend to pick up an idea to serve the show but, in this case, the show serves the idea. The concept is something that Jeremy was doing anyway, prior to the show. He was buying vehicles that had been discarded by organizations and are being sold off at auction because he thought he could use them to serve communities or his specific community. And people close to him, people like Romilda (Romilda De Luca; Executive Producer) thought this would be a great show to tell people what he is doing and to inspire them. And Jeremy got on board with that idea.
The show includes a lot of travelling and Jamie reuniting with some of his co-stars. Share some of the fun experiences with us.
There was an incredible attitude on set and it was so much fun. The celebrities were ready to take part in this experience. That really makes it an invigorating atmosphere to be a part of. The vibe on set, especially when we were in the communities was very positive. When we were in India, Anil Kapoor was so available and wanted to take part in everything. Jeremy and Rory (Rory Millikin; Co-host) had a blast. We’re seeing everybody having a good time and I think that made it not only a great experience, to present the vehicles to the communities but also a great experience to make the show.
What were the challenges of making this show?
Well, the show is hard to make. It required a lot of effort. Making a show is challenging, but we’re also making vehicles that needed to be used by real people. And a lot of people do that as their only job. It was a lot of work and the logistics of working in international communities were challenging. But we all believed in the show and believed in the mission. It was a creative endeavour that really hadn’t been done before.
How did Anil Kapoor come on board?
We wanted to bring people into the show who we felt had some connection to Jeremy but also some connection to the project. One of the things that we really thought and liked about working with Anil is he’s such a vet and he has worked everywhere and done everything. We felt his experience, having been involved with so many communities all around India, would make him very articulate and connected to this specific experience. He also had a connection with Jeremy, having worked together on Mission Impossible.
There seemed to be a couple of factors that aligned and part of it is also amplifying Jeremy’s message and getting the word out. And Anil is a huge star who is tremendously good at putting attention to a thing. He immediately responded when we reached out.
How did you like India?
I love it. I’ve worked there a bunch so I’ve been back and forth. I have worked in places like Manali and Shimla but I haven’t really been to southern India so that is on the list. But I just love India. I would go back tomorrow if I could. As someone who leads the production, I want my crew who is working on the show every day to have a great time to really enjoy what they do. So I wanted everyone to go to India and have a tremendous time because I wanted them to experience and have that same love for it.
Are there any other Indian actors who would like to collaborate?
I would have to go back to the people we were looking at for this show. I forget the names. There were some incredible women that we were talking about bringing on to the show. And sorry, I’m looking off into the distance, I’m trying to gauge my memory but I’m not as good with the Bollywood people.
Anil Kapoor wasn’t the only Indian actor you considered for the show?
We looked at a lot and I wasn’t that familiar with them all. We wanted to find people that we thought would connect to the project and had a personal experience with Jeremy. So we looked at a number of people that we thought would be a good fit. And as we all talked, it became very clear, very quickly that Anil was the best choice for this project.
What was the best part about working with Jeremy on this show?
His enthusiasm and his desire to help other people, especially kids, and to communicate to a bigger audience that this is something anybody can do. You get why these people like Jeremy and Anil are such huge stars because they have such dedication and professionalism, to not only their craft but also their role as celebrities and as people that can engage and utilize that in the service of others.
Jeremy wanted to do that and use his celebrity status to really help others and to make it visible that anybody can do it. You don’t have to be a Jeremy Renner to do it.
Can you share Jeremy’s health update with us after the accident he went through?
I can’t really speak to Jeremy’s health because it is a private thing to communicate. But I can tell you that talking to him over the last few months was at first extremely difficult because it was horrible but also inspiring because his enthusiasm for this project never wavered.
We had to push the release of the project but he remained passionate about getting this project to people as soon as possible. Seeing his recovery progress and hearing him talk about how he’s using this specific project to motivate his recovery is incredibly inspiring.
And it speaks to not only his ongoing physical recovery but also his mental stamina. Going through a situation like this, you would imagine can be extremely difficult, emotionally and psychologically. To see him be so focused on getting this mission out was inspiring.
But any details about his health, I wouldn’t be at the liberty to disclose any.
Rennervations will start streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from May 3.
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