‘The West has realised the potential of Indian actors’

Samarth Goyal

Sanjeev Bhaskar, the British actor of Indian descent, has been a part of the entertainment industry since 1991, when he made his debut in English television with the comedy show The Real McCoy. Bhaskar went on to star in popular shows such as Goodness Gracious Me (1998-2001) and The Kumars at No. 42 (2001-2006). The actorcomedian believes that producers and filmmakers in West are finally realising the “immense potential” of Indian actors, and that’s why “more and more” actors from India are getting the fame that they “absolutely deserve”.

“Certainly, technology has played a big role in making this realisation happen. Producers are realising that Indian actors, too, can become global stars,” says Bhaskar, referring to the reach of the Internet. “I think in the past 18 months, a lot of progress has been made. Dev Patel (of Slumdog Millionaire fame) winning a BAFTA (for Lion), and getting nominated for the Oscars and the Golden Globes was a sign that people have accepted Indian actors as global stars. Look at Deepika (Padukone) — she went on to become an action star in one of the biggest franchises (xXx: Return of Xander Cage). Irrfan is there in every third film, and rightly so, because he is such a terrific actor,” says Bhaskar, who was recently seen in the live-action film, Paddington 2.

He adds, “With Priyanka Chopra, the producers of Quantico realised that she can lead an entire show. And look how big she has become now. It’s incredible... and great.”

Technology has played a big role in making this realisation happen SANJEEV BHASKAR ACTOR

Sanjeev Bhaskar is a famous Indianorigin actor, based in England