The desi influence in Hollywood

Her tryst with Hollywood began in 2001 when she starred in the William Dear-directed film Politics of Love (also called Love, Barack) starring Brian J White and her in the lead roles. The film is a romantic comedy set during Barack Obama’s campaign for the US Presidency. She then landed a role in the 2005 Chinese film The Myth opposite Jackie Chan. She played the role of an Indian girl who saves Chan’s character from a river. That wasn’t all. The year 2009 saw her and Irrfan Khan come together for Hiss, which was an independent co-production between United States and India.

The evolution of Priyanka Chopra as an actress and as a global personality has become evident through her entry into Hollywood with the television series Quantico and the upcoming Baywatch with Dwayne Johnson. She has also gained wide recognition through her hit music tracks featuring will.i.am and Pitbull! And we bet she has more surprises in store.

Alright, so this is one actor who perhaps started off in Hollywood much earlier than the others. Om Puri played a cameo in the film Gandhi, but he became known internationally by starring in British films like My Son the Fanatic In 1997, East is East, and The Parole Officer. The 90s saw him win accolades given his performances in City of Joy opposite Patrick Swayze, Wolf with Jack Nicholson, and The Ghost and The Darkness in 1996. His next appearance was in 2007 with Charlie Wilson’s War starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

He does belong to the league of extraordinary gentlemen going by the number of movies he has performed in and the number of extraordinary roles he has essayed on screen ever since his Masoom released. Naseeruddin Shah has been part of numerous award-winning Hindi films and a handful of Hollywood flicks that have gained wide appreciation. His role in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) as Captain Nemo was well received, and he soon appeared in The Great New Wonderful In 2005.

This Indian television and film actor is best known in Europe for playing the pirate Sandokan in the highly popular TV mini series and for his role as the villainous Gobinda in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy.

The “Bad Man” has essayed a couple of roles in Hollywood films, his first one being Tales of the Kama Sutra 2: Monsoon in 2001. His next appearance was in Desires of the Heart, a 2013 film co-starring Hollywood actors Val Lauren, Alicia Minshew . The film Desperate Endeavours earned him an award for the Best Actor International at the New York City International Film Festival.

This Mr. India landed his first role in Hollywood with Slumdog Millionaire, an Academy Award-winning film directed by Danny Boyle. Not only did it put Anil Kapoor on the global map as an acclaimed actor, it also served as a precursor to the television series 24 which generated rave reviews from the American press. And yes, how can we forget the climax scene for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol that was shot with Anil Kapoor in the Sun Network office in Bangalore!

Although we remember this gorgeous lady as Sonia in the Pink Panther 2, Aishwarya’s first Hollywood appearance was with the historical drama. The Last Legion co-starring Ben Kingsley and Colin Firth. She followed it up with Pink Panther 2, an American mystery comedy, based on the popular comedy series of the same name.