Disney+ Hotstar’s show, The Night Manager has been nominated for 52nd International Emmy Awards. Starring Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Tillotama Shome, Sobhita Dhulipala and others, the two-part series was directed by Sandeep Modi and Priyanka Ghose.
The Night Manager is nominated in the Drama category at the 52nd International Emmy Awards. On this joyous occasion, Tillotama Shome shared her excitement with Zoom. In an exclusive conversation, the actress recalled shooting for the series in an unfavourable situation in Sri Lanka.
Tillotama Shome on shooting for The Night Manager amid recession in Sri Lanka
Tillotama said, “The feeling is unreal because it was a show that was made during a difficult time. We shot in fancy locations when Sri Lanka was going through a recession. It was challenging for the producers. But they had immense faith in the project and us. The audience accepted us so beautifully. The journey from there to the nomination feels like a wonderful validation of your work. Especially Sandeep Modi, our director and showrunner and Priyanka Ghose.”
Recalling the moment the news broke out, the actress shared, “Sandeep gave us the news. Everyone got on a call. Phones didn’t stop ringing. Anil sir said let’s meet and plan a party together. It is a great sense of appreciation when it was least expected.”
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Tillotama played the role of Lipika Saikia Rao in The Night Manager. The part was originally portrayed by Olivia Colman in the British thriller of the same name. Talking about the adaptation, she said, “I don’t know what the others thought but I was aware that it was a remake and my role would be that of Olivia Colman. I knew they were very big shoes to fill but I trusted Sandeep, Priyanka and Shridhar Raghavan who adapted the show. I put my heart into playing Lipika, a woman who has to negotiate and walk through the corridor of the power that is controlled by men. It was great to play that part in an adaptation that is so uniquely Indian while keeping in mind I’m not getting intimidated by the fact that it was originally done by Olivia Colman. I love Lipika for the kind of woman she is. It is a joy to include such a character in an ensemble like this. It is commendable that production houses backed such a project and made sure everyone was safe and secure despite challenging times. If my life is teaching me anything, it is through these very difficult times that you get surprised by coming through.”
The actress further opened up about shooting in tough situations and shared, “All the locations we shot were incredible. What was memorable for me was how the group just came together to work in those unusually hard circumstances. Shooting a country with one quick economic recession where you know people don't have electricity and fuel and we are shooting a show of this proportion in the midst of that. What’s the creative integrity? What’s the belief in the story? Sandeep held us all together during this really difficult shoot.”
Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur are hot, but…
Praising Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur for their graciousness, Tillotama said, “They’re super gracious and chilled out. Two different styles of acting. Everyone complemented each other and there was a sense of bonhomie because of that. The most youthful of us was Anil Kapoor. What energy does he have? Anil sir was curious about the project and the people. The warmth he extended was incredible. Yes, they are very good-looking very hot people but beyond that, they were committed to the story. At the end, the story is the king and queen.”
The Night Manager will be competing with Les Gouttes de Dieu (France), The Newsreader – Season 2 (Australia) and Iosi, El Espia Arrepentido – Season 2 (Argentina) at the 52nd International Emmy Awards.