Abhinay Deo hopes to direct '24' season 2 too

Filmmaker Abhinay Deo, who is helming 24 episodes for the first season of the Indian version of international series "24", says "hopefully", he will be roped in to direct its second season as well.

"I am doing '24'. Hopefully, I will be doing the next season as well," Deo told IANS.

The director believes the show, a thriller starring Anil Kapoor, will open up the gates for many different types of shows to be aired on the small screen.

"24" is a series based on an American TV show of the same name. Since the show is very different from other shows on Indian television, it was tough to adapt it for an Indian audience, he said.

"We are trying to do something new on TV. There was no precedent or anything which we could refer to. The international series is so good and inspiring. The toughest part was to adapt it to the Indian context," he said.

Even though it is inspired from a foreign series, the director wanted it to be completely Indian in feel.

"We needed to look at the various points and make it Indian. I wanted to make sure that it ends up looking like an Indian show. It must not look like an American show. It was very challenging," said Deo, who has directed films like "Game" and "Delhi Belly" on the big screen.

He said several changes were made to the script as well as in the characterisation. Anil Kapoor steps into the shoes of fictional character Jack Bauer, but the role has been made more humane in nature to suit the sensibilities of the Indian audience.

"Jack Bauer is originally very cold and understated. We have made it more Indian and given him a heart and a soul. We have increased the family value of the show because ultimately Indians believe in family much more," said Deo.

"24" will air on Colors in October. The show will also feature Shabana Azmi, Tisca Chopra and Mandira Bedi.