DESI GOES GLOBAL...

After Priyanka and Deepika, there’s again a spurt of Bollywood actors grabbing meaty roles in the West

Indian actors transcending boundaries of language and countries is nothing new. Right from BAFTA winning Rohini Hattangadi starring in Gandhi (1982) to Amrish Puri and Kabir Bedi playing negative roles in Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984), and Octopussy (1983) respectively, we’ve always been visible. But that was pretty much it.

Over the years, there has been a rise in the number of our talent finding more (and better) opportunities in the West. Soon after Priyanka Chopra Jonas starred in the TV show Quantico, she landed the role of the antagonist in Baywatch (2017). Her current projects include We Are Heroes and The White Tiger, an adaptation of the novel by the same name. Deepika Padukone,

Shantaram has more Indians because the story takes place in India predominantly. Let’s see how it changes. RADHIKA APTE ACTOR

too, took everyone by surprise, when she played the female lead opposite Vin Diesel in xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017).

There have been many new additions to this list ever since. Radhika Apte will star alongside Charlie Hunnam in a web series based on the novel Shantaram. Though the spurt of Indian actors bagging meaty roles in the West is a good sign, Radhika feels there’s still a long way to go. “The world is coming closer in the sense of digital platforms. We can view content globally. The audience has broadened, and hence, the representation is even more important. That’s why I’m hoping Indians and Asians will have more representation eventually. But it’s still a slow process,” says the 34-year-old, ruing that we still don’t see Indians in lead roles.

After a small role in Furious 7 (2015) and starring in Victoria & Abdul (2017), Ali Fazal will be seen alongside Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot in the adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel Death On The Nile. Happy that “lines are blurring between industries within India and internationally”, he adds, “We’re no longer the stereotypes or a race limited to a profession or an accent. Diversity is pivotal today.” Priyanka also says she wants to “see more Indian talent”.

Veterans such as Dimple Kapadia and Shabana Azmi, too, have plum projects in hand. The former was spotted shooting for Christopher Nolan’s Tenet in Mumbai. Shabana, on the other hand, will be a part of Steven Spielberg’s drama series Halo. It has recently been revealed that Adil Hussain will be seen in the TV series Star Trek: Discovery Season 3.

Trade expert Joginder Tuteja however feels this trend has been on for decades. “I’d like to see how mainstream they get. Many have played walk-on parts, and played lead roles also like Priyanka and Deepika. Irrfan got some success, that too four-five years back. This thing was there in the 1970s as well, but it didn’t lead us to anywhere,” he says.

In Death on The Nile, it’s a blind casting. And that’s how actors should be cast — beyond a certain defined profile. ALI FAZAL ACTOR