India's Man in Hollywood

You’ve probably missed Mumbai boy Tabrez Noorani’s name in the credit roll of dozens of big Hollywood films in the last decade. That cloak of anonymity is set to disappear soon, with his debut film as director.

- Soleil Nathwani

Think of famous Indians in Hollywood. The names that come to mind are the likes of Priyanka Chopra, Freida Pinto, Irrfan Khan, Kunal Nayyar, Archie Panjabi, M Night Shyamalan and Aziz Ansari, among others but not Tabrez Noorani. His is not a name that would make the celebrity lists. Most people would not have heard of him, but the big Hollywood film production companies have him on speed dial. Though he lives in Los Angeles, 43-year-old Mumbai born and bred Noorani, through his company India Take One Productions, has been the first port of call for most international filmmakers looking to shoot in India for well over a decade. As the India segment producer, Noorani and his partners’ stamp can be seen in movies ranging from Oliver Stone’s Alexander to Gurinder Chadha’s Bride and Prejudice, Jane Campion’s Holy Smoke, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire and more recent films like Life of Pi, The Hundred-Foot Journey, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Million Dollar Arm, Eat Pray Love and Zero Dark Thirty.