DIRECTION: WEST
Hollywood is one place which many consider the holy grail of cinema. If an Indian actor is cast to play even a minuscule part in a film in the West, his reaction is akin to winning an Oscar, no less. Pratishtha Malhotra talks about Bollywood actors going
We have seen actors like Anil Kapoor be a part of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL. The former opened the doors of Hollywood to Kapoor, but then we blinked and missed him in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE; seemed like ‘ghost protocol’ indeed! They say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and we saw a repetition of this near-miss experience repeated in Coldplay’s ‘Hymn for the weekend’ video, as Sonam Kapoor was seen running and disappearing into thin air.
With all due respect, there are some who have actually made us proud far away from home. Recently Priyanka Chopra bagged BAYWATCH with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and we couldn't stop smiling ear to ear as well. It came on the heels of her winning the People’s Choice Award for ‘Quantico’, presenting an award at the Oscars and lending her voice for PLANES.
Deepika Padukone also generated a buzz by bagging a pivotal part in one of the biggest franchises there, namely xXx –THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE with none other than Vin Diesel. Full marks to our women who are ready to kick some butt! Speaking of Vin Diesel reminds us of FURIOUS 7 in which we saw Ali Fazalmake his Hollywood debut, so what if it wasn’t the meatiest of parts.
Speaking of those who have put India on the map of Hollywood in recent times, you cannot miss Irrfan Khan. From NAMESAKE, THE AMAZING SPIDER MAN, JURASSIC WORLD, LIFE OF PI and now INFERNO, this Khan with a difference has been hailed for the dedication he brings to his craft. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in MISTRESS OF SPICES, PINK PANTHER 2, PROVOKED, THE LAST LEGION, Anupam Kher in MISTRESS OF SPICES, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and Amitabh Bachchan in THE GREAT GATSBY are among those who grabbed eyeballs in Hollywood films. However, who can forget those who snared parts in the West back when image building and PR was not the behemoth channel it is today. Times were simpler and it was your work rather than your spokesperson that spoke for you. Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah and Amrish Puri were a part of this trend much before many others had discovered it. Surprised? Go catch CITY OF JOY, THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN and TEMPLE DOOM and encounter the early pioneers!