Bollywood’s leading actress Alia Bhatt will soon make her debut in the international spy thriller Heart of Stone. Alia joins a growing list of Indian actors who have made their way to some renowned Hollywood projects including web series and movies. Irrfan Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra, and Huma Qureshi are some of the prominent actors who have gained recognition in Hollywood with their powerhouse performances.
Here’s a look at the Hollywood projects starring Bollywood actors:
Aishwarya Rai
The stunning actress and former Miss World became a known name in the West far before Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone. It all began with Gurinder Chadha’s ‘Bride & Prejudice’ (2004), an adaptation of Jane Austin’s novel Pride and Prejudice in which she played the lead role. In Doug Lefler’s The Last Legion (2007), Ash famously played the role of Mira, a martial arts expert who assists the Roman commander, played by Colin Firth. In the second instalment of The Pink Panther (2009), she donned the role of a criminology expert Sonia Solandres. The 2006 films Mistress of Spices and Provoked are other projects to Ash’s credit. Her last appearance at the international circuit was in ‘The Pink Panther 2’.
Irrfan Khan
The celebrated Indian actor holds a special place in the hearts of many Bollywood and Hollywood fans. The late actor shot to fame after he portrayed the supporting role of a policeman in the 2008 movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and soon became a crossover star in Hollywood. His other famous Hollywood projects include ‘The Namesake’(2006), ‘The Amazing Spider Man’(2012), ‘Life of Pi’ (2012), ‘Jurassic World’ (2015), and ‘Inferno’ (2016).
Priyanka Chopra
Bollywood’s desi girl is its biggest export to Hollywood and has won over the West with several hits. She starred in ABC’s 2015 thriller series ‘Quantico’ portraying the role of Alex Parrish. Her film debut came with the action-comedy Baywatch (2017), starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. From being relatively unknown when she moved to the United States about eight years ago, to becoming one of Hollywood’s most sought-after stars, Priyanka has come a long way through sheer hard work. She starred in several other films such as ‘Isn’t It Romantic’(2019), ‘A Kid Like Jake’ (2018) and ‘We Can Be Heroes’(2020). The actress has bagged another international film – The Matrix Resurrections (2021). Her other upcoming Hollywood projects include Text For You (2022), Citadel, and a romantic comedy with Mindy Kaling.
Amitabh Bachchan
The Shahanshah of ‘Bollywood’ made his Hollywood debut with ‘The Great Gatsby’ (2013), in which he co-starred with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. The role he donned in the film was of a Jewish gangster Meyer Wolfsheim. Big B received rave reviews from international film critics for his performance in the film.
Amrish Puri
Bollywood’s beloved villain Amrish Puri acted in the flicks ‘Gandhi’ (1982) -where he played Khan and as the antagonist Mola Ram in Steven Spielberg’s ‘Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom’ (1984). Steven Spielberg once called Amrish Puri his “favourite villain”.
Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher has acted in numerous award-winning Hollywood films like ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ (2012), ‘Bend it like Beckham’ (2002), ‘Caution’ (2020), the Big Stick (2017), and Hotel Mumbai (2018) among others.
Anil Kapoor
A recognised name globally, Anil Kapoor starred in Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ (2008), where he portrayed the role of a popular TV game show host. He even had a part in 2011 released ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’ with prominent Hollywood actors Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, and Simon Pegg.
Frieda Pinto
A power-packed performance in Slumdog Millionaire (2008) followed by a classic list of movies like Rising of the Planet of Apes (2011), You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) to Immortals (2011) – Freida Pinto has several successful Hollywood projects to her credit. Other films include Only (2019), Love Wedding Repeat (2020), Love Sonia (2018), Desert Dancer (2014), Knights of Cups (2015), Day of the Falcon (2011), and Miral (2010).
Deepika Padukone
Deepika made her Hollywood debut with the 2017 movie XXX: The Return of Xander Cage opposite Vin Diesel. She will also be seen in another Hollywood film which will be produced by her and developed by STX Films. The film will be a cross-cultural romantic comedy.
Suraj Sharma
He debuted in Ang Lee’s Life of Pi (2012), an adaptation of the novel of the same name. Apart from this, he had played a part in the Season 4 Homeland series and Million Dollar Arm (2014). Suraj’s other works include the comedy series ‘God Friended Me’ (2018-2020) and Happy Death Day 2U (2019).
Dhanush
The South star made his debut with the 2018 Hollywood film, ‘The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir’. His next Hollywood project will be ‘The Gray Man’ (2022) based on Mark Greaney’s novel of the same name.
Naseeruddin Shah
The veteran Bollywood actor has worked in Hollywood films like the 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (in which he co-starred with Sean Connery), The Great New Wonderful (2005), and in Monsoon Wedding (2001).
Shabana Azmi
She was a part of Mira Nair’s ‘Reluctant Fundamentalist’ (2012), an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Mohsin Hamid.
Dimple Kapadia
The multi-talented actor starred in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ (2020), a spy thriller.
Om Puri
The late actor has not limited his boundary just with Indian cinema but has made a name for himself in British and Pakistani cinema as well. ‘The City of Joy’(1992), Charlie Wildon’s ‘War’ (2007), Academy winning Film ‘Gandhi’(1982), ‘Code 46’ (2003), ‘East is East’ (1999), and ‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’ (2014) are some of his Hollywood projects.
Tabu
The gorgeous and talented actress has worked in Ang Lee’s Life Of Pi (2012) and Mira Nair’s The Namesake (2006).
Ali Faizal
Ali Fazal’s Hollywood filmography includes notable projects like Fast and Furious 7 (2015), Victoria and Abdul (2017). Other Hollywood films in his kitty include Death of the Nile and Kandahar (2022).
Huma Qureshi
Talented Bollywood actress Huma Qureshi had a limited but pivotal role in Zack Snyder’s 2021 zombie action-thriller, ‘Army of the Dead’.
