New Delhi, Sep 18 (PTI) British-Indian actor Ritu Arya, known for her role in Hollywood movies and shows such as “Red Notice”, “Barbie” and “The Umbrella Academy”, says she has forever been a fan of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and considers him to be her “North Star”.
Arya, who was born in Guildford town in England to Indian parents, reprises her role of an MI6 agent in “Apollo Has Fallen”, the second instalment in the television expansion of the “Has Fallen” franchise, following the first season “Paris Has Fallen” in 2024.
The 38-year-old actor said she watched a lot of Bollywood movies while growing up in the UK.
“Well, I grew up watching a lot of Bollywood and with Shah Rukh Khan as my North Star… I’m a big fan. And I know that can bother
people because it’s a bit stereotypical but it isn’t for me because that was my life,” Arya told PTI in an interview.
Tewfik Jallab, her “Apollo Has Fallen” co-star who plays Vincent Taleb in the series, who was part of the interview, recalled how Arya had once told him he looked like SRK.
“Actually, she told me that I looked like Shah Rukh Khan. So that was for me. That was all I needed,” he said.
Jallab shared his own appreciation for Indian cinema, saying he loves Shah Rukh Khan but has another popular Indian star as his favourite.
“It’s a huge compliment. I mean, I love Shah Rukh Khan, like really. But I have another favourite Indian actor and he’s in ‘Baahubali’,” he said.
Asked if he meant Prabhas, who headlined the two-part SS Rajamouli-directed period action franchise, Jallab said, “You know it.” “Apollo Has Fallen”, which will premiere on Lionsgate Play on Friday, brings back Arya as MI6 agent Zara Taylor, a skilled operative tasked with protecting British interests, and Jallab as Vincent Taleb, a former French intelligence officer, as they face a new international threat. The show is an extension of the Gerard Butler-led “Has Fallen” franchise, which includes “Olympus Has Fallen” (2013), “London Has Fallen” (2016) and “Angel Has Fallen” (2019).
In “Apollo Has Fallen”, Zara and Vincent find themselves dealing with a much larger international threat after a hijacking/kidnapping involving a microbiologist.
The scientist is forced by mercenaries to weaponise a deadly virus in an attempt to save her family. Zara and Vincent must stop the plan before the virus can spread across Europe.
Arya said the established relationship between the two characters allowed the new season to explore their individual vulnerabilities while expanding the scale of the story.
“Zara and Vincent, we meet them together in Libya and they’re on a surveillance job. And there’s a friendship there now that’s been established from their experience. There’s respect, there’s trust and the usual banter,” Arya said.
“And when Zara feels like she’s losing, she might be losing Vincent, that’s when she really sees how much she cares for this person and how dependent she’s become. So, that sort of puts the show on a bit of a different trajectory for her with her vulnerability,” she added.
Arya said the new season also examines how their closeness can affect their work as agents.
“It’s interesting seeing them navigate without each other, as well as when they are together and what they bring out. So, I think they work so well when they’re together on a mission, but because they care about each other, it can sometimes even get in the way,” she added.
For Jallab, the success of the first season brought a degree of pressure to the follow-up but he said the higher stakes and expanded scale also gave the actors more to work with.
“Pressure is good. After an amazing first season, we have more stuff to do, the stakes are higher. I’m very happy with the script, I’m very happy with the cast. We travelled to London, Libya, Spain. It’s a challenge but we’re here to give the audience the best,” he said.
Arya said the team was conscious of not repeating the first season while retaining the elements that connected audiences to the characters.
“I think that every season two has a bit of pressure to live up to a season one, especially if you’ve been a fan of it. So, I definitely can feel that. However, it was important for us and Howard and the whole team to make sure it wasn’t the same,” she added.
Created by Howard Overman and directed by David Caffrey and Alice Troughton, the eight-episode series also stars Jacek Koman, Richard Dormer, Charlotte Spencer, Arthur Darvill, Annabel Scholey and Aylin Tezel. PTI RB RB BK BK
