From Hollywood to Bollywood: We Bring You 10 Hollywood Actors Who Have Starred In Bollywood Movies
The two largest and most lucrative film industries in the world, Hollywood and Bollywood, have crossed paths numerous times. Whether it comes to remaking films, providing stories for films, or even the actors from one industry crossing over to the other.
For example, in Bollywood, actor Gulshan Grover was one of the pioneer actors to make the switch to working in Hollywood. Since then, many other actors such as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan Khan and obviously Priyanka Chopra have become part of several large-scale films and other projects based in the West. However, in much the same manner, numerous Hollywood stars have crossed over to Bollywood. Take a look.
1. Sylvester Stallone
Many may be surprised to find that Hollywood (and worldwide) superstar Sylvester Stallone once guest-starred in a Bollywood movie. Stallone appeared in the 2009 Sabbir Khan action comedy Kambakkht Ishq, a film that takes the viewer into the world perspective of a Hollywood stuntman. This movie also includes appearances from other influential Hollywood stars.
Kambakkht Ishq revolves around a struggle between a Hollywood stuntman, Viraj Shergill (played by Akshay Kumar), and hospital surgeon and ex-model, Simrita Rai (played by Kareena Kapoor). In this film, when Viraj’s brother, Lucky, falls in love with and marries Simrita’s best friend, Kamini, both Viraj and Simrita do all they can in order to prove that the marriage between the two was a bad idea. When the characters played by Viraj and Simrita are again engaged in battle, Viraj accepts and states that the influence they are placing on their loved ones is unhealthy. Simrita, however, rather aggressively sticks to her original opinion.
Stallone is perhaps most well known for his role as boxer Rocky Balboa, the title character of a series of 7 Rocky films (between 1976 to 2015). He is also widely known for his portrayal of soldier John Rambo from the four Rambo films, which were released between 1982 and 2008. Another notable character he has essayed is Barney Ross in the three The Expendables movies from 2010 to 2014. In addition to playing either the lead role or a major part in all 14 of these movies, he wrote or co-wrote most of the films as well (and also directed some of them). What is perhaps Stallone’s most famous film, Rocky, was granted entry into the National Film Registry, and the props from this movie were actually placed in the Smithsonian Museum. Interestingly, as his films used the entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the area has come known as the ‘Rocky Steps.’ In fact, Philadelphia also has placed a statue of his character from this series permanently near the museum. Stallone himself was voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on December 7, 2010, in the non-participant category.
While working with and getting to know Kumar, Stallone is reported to have been very impressed with the former’s physical ability, fitness routine, and muscular physique. According to reports, Akshay Kumar was able to turn Stallone to taking up yoga and was able to preach the benefits of bhurji and buttermilk in his diet. It is said that Stallone later passed on these pieces of health advice to actor Arnold Schwarzenegger during the filming of their movie, Escape Plan.
2. Brandon Routh
Brandon Routh also appeared along with Sylvester Stallone and several other Hollywood actors in 2009’s Kambakkht Ishq. Routh grew up in Iowa before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry and frequently appeared on several television shows throughout the early 2000s. Among these was the highly popular television serial Gilmore Girls. He later became known for his character as Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns. In addition, he held a recurring role in the television series Chuck and had noteworthy roles in the movies Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Most recently, he had a recurring role in 2014 s Ray Palmer/Atom 2014, a role which made way for a spin=off guest role in The Flash, as well as a starring role on the series Legends of Tomorrow.
3. Clive Standen
Clive Standen played the role of Katrina Kaif’s character’s boyfriend in the 2007 Vipul Shah film Namastey London. Standen is a British actor most popular for his role as Bryan Mills in the NBC Show Taken, which is based on the film of the same name. He also starred as Sir Gawain in the Stars series Camelot, Rollo in the History Channel TV series Vikings, Private Carl Harris in the acclaimed British television science fiction show Doctor Who, and Archer in the BBC television series Robin Hood. Today, this actor is one of the most recognized names in British television.
4. Denise Richards
Former Bond girl Denise Richards has surprisingly a Bollywood connection as well. She also starred in the 2009 movie, Kambakkht Ishq, playing Akshay Kumar’s love interest. About her work in Bollywood, Richards has only nice things to say. She gushes that everybody was very nice and extremely passionate about the movie. She wishes to work in another Bollywood movie after her last experience.
Richards gained worldwide fame by starring in the 1997 movie Starship Troopers, directed by Paul Verhoeven. The movie was a hit and won her awards. The actress gained even more recognition and fame for her next film role, a manipulative rich girl in the 1998 erotic thriller Wild Things, starring opposite Neve Campbell and Matt Dillon. The following year, she won a role as a Bond girl in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough, playing nuclear physicist Christmas Jones opposite Pierce Brosnan. Partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Richards appeared on the eighth season of ABC's hit dancing competition show, Dancing with the Stars, in 2009.
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5. Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley, one of the most talented and respected actors in the industry, was seen sharing screen space with Amitabh Bachchan in the 2010 Bollywood movie, Teen Patti.
The drama movie Gandhi (1982) is what first earned Kingsley international fame for his performance as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. This performance won him several awards including an Academy Award for Best Actor, a Golden Globe, BAFTA and a London Film Critics Circle Award. After acting in Gandhi (1982), Ben was recognized as one of the finest British actors.
After his international fame for appearing in Gandhi (1982), his success as an actor continued- Kingsley appeared in many other famous movies. His performance in the drama movie Schindler's List (1993) as Itzhak Stern earned him a BAFTA nomination for best-supporting actor. Schindler's List (1993) won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. During the late 1990s, Kingsley acted in many successful movies. In the television movie The Tale of Sweeney Todd, Kingsley played the role of Sweeney Todd (1997) which earned him a SAG award nomination. Anne Frank (2001) also saw him play the role of Otto Frank which gained him immense critical acclaim as well as a SAG award.
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2002 saw Kingsley appointed Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's New Year's Honours for his services to drama.
6. Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg also appeared in the 2009 film Kambakkht Ishq. Goldberg is an award-winning comedian, actress and long-time host of the daytime talk show 'The View’ as well as a human rights advocate.
She starred in a popular one-woman production in 1983, and in 1985 she won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording. That same year, her success with The Color Purple launched a highly visible acting career. Her performance in Ghost won her an Academy Award in 1991 and in 2007 she embarked on her long journey as moderator of the television talk show “The View”. Goldberg is also known for being among a very small group of celebrities who have achieved the "EGOT" status of winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award.
7. Kenton Duty
Kenton Duty played the role of Reese Garrick in the 2010 Karan Johar film My Name is Khan, which also stars Shahrukh Khan and Kajol Devgan. Kenton Duty began his acting career at the tender age of 9 in the Dallas Theater Center's stage production of "A Christmas Carol". After he was discovered at a workshop at the Young Actors Studio in Dallas, Texas by Hollywood talent agent Cindy Osbrink, he began auditioning for roles in Los Angeles. Duty first gained popular notoriety playing the role of young "Jacob" on the hit TV series, Lost (2004), although no one, including Duty himself, knew who his character was until nearly the final episode of the series. He was billed simply as "Teenage Boy". In 2010, on the Disney Channel original series, Shake It Up (2010), Duty landed a starring role as the flamboyant dancer/fashion designer antagonist, "Gunther Hessenheffer", alongside Caroline Sunshine as his fraternal twin sister, "Tinka Hessenheffer". The glitzy brother/sister duo of Gunther and Tinka is said to be inspired by Ryan and Sharpay Evans of Disney's "High School Musical" franchise.
8. Christopher B. Duncan
Christopher B. Duncan essayed the role of President Barack Obama in the 2010 Karan Johar Film My Name Is Khan. Duncan is an American actor, who is most well-known for his portrayal of Braxton P. Hartnabrig on The Jamie Foxx Show. In addition, he is known for his role as President William Johnson in The First Family, a sitcom. Notably, he had recurring roles on shows such as Jane by Design, Lincoln Heights, The District, and Soul Food.
9. Sarah Thompson
Sarah Thompson Kane is an American actress who is known for her role as Eve in the acclaimed television series Angel, as well as for her role in Cruel Intentions 2 with Amy Adams. She debuted in Bollywood in the 2010 Prakash Jha film Rajneeti. She took on the role of Ranbir Kapoor’s American girlfriend. In this movie, starring Ajay Devgan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Katrina Kaif, among others, Ranbir’s character leaves behind his home in the United States to return to India in order to pursue his political ambitions. The film revolves around the ensuing political election and the lengths that the election’s candidates are willing to go to in order to achieve their goals.
10. Toby Stephens
Toby Stephens essayed the character of a British army captain in the 2006 Bollywood film, The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey, a film starring Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherji. This film, a historical biographical drama film, showed a series of events that occurred during the Indian rebellion in 1857 against the British. It focused on the life of Mangal Pandey, an Indian soldier who gained notoriety for helping to ignite the Indian rebellion of 1857.
Stephens’s acting career was launched while he worked as a stagehand at the Chichester Festival Theatre, working mainly in end-of-season productions that were mounted by the crew. Though his career as an actor has been brief thus far, he has received the Sir John Gielgud Prize for Best Actor and the Ian Charleson Award for his portrayal of the title character of “Coriolanus” at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1994. Other notable works under his belt include “Measure for Measure”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Antony and Cleopatra”, “Wallenstein”, “All’s Well That Ends Well”, and “Unfinished Business”.
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