From the streets of Mumbai to the sets of Hollywood, many Indian stars have made it big at the international level with shining performances. Casting Indian actors in their movies is no more about filling up a spot to ensure ‘inclusivity’ – rather, actors today are being wooed to add value and draw in a global audience with their acting skills. From Sabu Dastgir, the first Indian actor to work in Hollywood in the 1938 film Drum, to Amrish Puri’s famous Mola Ram in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Tabu’s casting as Sister Francesca in Dune: Prophecy, Indian actors are making the world sit up and look at their talent.
Irfan Khan
The OG from the second generation of actors who carved a niche for themselves in Hollywood with their stellar acting skills, Irfan captivated audiences with multiple roles throughout his acting career. Irfan’s foray was marked with his debut in the British production The Warrior (2001) – the movie won the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film. This was followed up with pivotal roles in the movie adaptation of Namesake (2006), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), The Amazing Spider Man (2012). The actor was the ‘older’ Pi in the movie, Life of Pi (2012) and owner of the park in Jurassic World (2015).
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya, considered one of the most beautiful women in the world and Miss World 1994, was cast in the central role of Lalita Bakshi in her debut Hollywood movie, Bride and Prejudice (2004), an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice. The following year, she played the lead in Mistress of Spices (2005), followed by praiseworthy performances in movies like Provoked (2006), The Last Legion (2007), and The Pink Panther 2 (2009). Her latest Hollywood work is as the Hindi voice actor for Angelina Jolie’s character in Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
Tabu
Before Dune: Prophecy, the prequel series to the Dune movies happened this month, Tabu had already established herself as an acting prowess in the West with her heart wrenching performance in The Namesake (2006). She even appeared in (2012), again as the mother of the lead role. And of course, there was her turn as Saaeda Bai in A Suitable Boy, the British television drama series based on Vikram Seth’s novel of the same name.
Ali Fazal
Ali’s first step in Hollywood was with a cameo in Fast and Furious 7. The actor went on to get critical acknowledgement for his work as Abdul Karim, who strikes a close friendship with Queen Victoria in the movie, Victoria and Abdul (2017); the movie is based on the book Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu. In Death on the Nile (2022), he played the role of Andrew Katchadourian, Linnet Ridgeway’s educated and talented cousin. His last outing in Hollywood was Kandahar (2023).
Anil Kapoor
Jhakaas Kapoor, who debuted in the Hindi film industry with Hamare Tumhare (1979), has been around for several decades now and a favourite across generations. But he became a ‘global’ household name for his work in the Academy Award-winning movie, Slumdog Millionaire (2008) as the boisterous show host Prem Kumar. He was also recognised for his performance as Brij Nath in the fourth instalment of Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
Deepika Padukone
The Guinness World Record holder for being the highest-earning Bollywood actress, Deepika bagged a deal in Hollywood to act alongside Vin Diesel in the franchise movie xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017). She was one of the first Bollywood actresses of her generation to land a lead in an international movie. Deepika’s Bollywood stint started after she caught director Farah Khan’s eye during a modelling gig, which bagged her the lead role in the mega-hit Om Shanti Om.
Alia Bhatt
The Bollywood icon became a global icon with her Hollywood debut in Heart of Stone (2023). The actress played the role of Keya Dhawan, a techie, in the Netflix movie led by Gal Gadot. However, despite rumours of more offers, the actress, who has been winning hearts since her debut with Student of the Year (2014), is in no mood to shift to the USA like Priyanka Chopra, she said in an interview.
Randeep Hooda
Randeep made his Bollywood debut with the movie, Monsoon Wedding, where he played the role of an NRI. His Hollywood debut was with the action-thriller, Extraction (2020), led by Thor star Chris Hemsworth. Randeep played the role of Saju Rav, a former Para Lieutenant Colonel who is the head of security for an Indian drug lord. Randeep has said he auditioned for the role.
Priyanka Chopra
The former Miss World went on to achieve success and was one of the highest-paid actresses in Bollywood before she shifted focus to music (remember her song with Bryan Adams). And then came Baywatch (2017) where she played the pivotal role of Victoria Leeds, the fiery antagonist. PC went on to become a media darling following her marriage to singer/actor Nick Jonas. She’s also been cast as the lead in Isn’t It Romantic? (2019) and Matrix Resurrections (2021). She also headlined the Prime Video series Citadel (2023) alongside Richard Madden.
Huma Qureshi
The talented actress made her debut in Hollywood with Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead (2021), a zombie apocalypse movie. It may have been a brief role but for Huma, it doesn’t matter as long as the role adds substance to the plot of the movie. Her role in the movie is the turning point for the plot.
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