HOW THE WEST WAS WON

RUPSHA SEN PROFILES THE BOLLYWOOD ARTISTES WHO'VE MADE THEIR MARK IN HOLLYWOOD

- RUPSHA SEN

Seeing your favourite Bollywood actor pop up on screen in a big-budget, high-stakes Nolan film is a surprise like no other. With more and more actors signing with Hollywood agencies, this could become more common. Indian actors with domestic renown have captivated western minds with memorable Hollywood castings in recent decades. Some of these appearances were as supporting characters, while others were as main characters. Nonetheless, the unique charm of these Indian actors has captured the attention of western viewers. With the growing popularity of foreign cinema in the English-speaking world, it’s worth revisiting these appearances. We bring you a list of the most famous Bollywood big names who’ve pursued parallel careers abroad.

AMITABH BACHCHAN 

Amitabh Bachchan made a brief appearance as the shady underworld businessman Meyer Wolfsheim in the 2013 film The Great Gatsby. Leonardo DiCaprio couldn’t help but be impressed by Bachchan’s talent. “He couldn’t be a more gentle, wonderful individual to work with or astoundingly talented. To come and play Meyer Wolfsheim in this movie and embody that roughness and mystery, everything that comes out of his mouth is filled with so much more and so much presence. And then you see the camera cut, and he’s the perfect gentleman—just a joy to be around and a wonderful collaborator. He’s a magnificent actor, and I was honoured to work with him,” he said. In fact, during a media interview at the KBC event, AB revealed that he did not charge for the role.

IRRFAN KHAN