Even as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike crossed 100 days, a major backlog of projects has made the availability of actors an issue of concern. Does that open a new window of opportunities for actors from outside the USA? Bollywood stars working in Hollywood films is no new phenomenon – Indian have been working in the industry since the 1930s (Sabu Dastagir in Abu in The Thief of Bagdad, The Jungle Book by Zoltan Korda). In more recent past, Om Puri (City of Joy, Wolf), Shashi Kapoor (Shakespeare-Wallah), and Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Jurassic World, The Amazing Spiderman) had their moments of glory in American films. This was way before Deepika Padukone (XXX: Return of Xander Cage) and Priyanka Chopra (Baywatch) made their much-celebrated Hollywood debuts a few years ago.
It all started with typically Indian, or at best Asian roles, and Indian artists have now graduated to more important roles with time. It is interesting to note that Bollywood stars broke the barrier of being typecast, much before the strikes forced studios to aggressively seek talent beyond home grounds. However, the examples of Indian actors essaying significant roles in Hollywood projects are far and few.
What can be a hurdle in casting Indian artists for Hollywood projects? One major obstacle is figuring out the work visa and passport. Casting director Purvi Lavingia reveals that the process of getting the paperwork done is often so lengthy that the producers end up casting “someone local”, even after considering someone from outside the USA. Lavingia has played an important part in Dhanush bagging Russo Brothers’ The Gray Man. She also got Dimple Kapadia her Hollywood debut with Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.
Lavingia says that the opportunities for Indian artists to audition for Hollywood projects has certainly seen a significant rise over the past few months. “(The strike) It definitely has affected. Work stopped pretty much since April. Even for Hollywood (studios), what would it take for them to cast a big star (from India)? It has to be a meaty and significant role for the Indian stars to travel all the way, and make those changes in their schedules. Big stars may not always be ready to just leave everything for non-significant roles. They (studios) are also still learning to work around that change.”
Digital world offers a better window
She believes the streaming platforms have offered a better scope for expanding the casting for filmmakers and studios all over the world, much more than the impact of the strike. Social media, and digital platforms showcase the talent of artists (through posts, discussions, and films and web shows) , enabling filmmakers to reach out to anyone from across the globe. “There has been a surge in audition calls for Asian and Indian actors as I have seen, and that has been around for sometime. Tenet came in 2019 when Dimple Kapadia was the main antagonist. That was a nice surprise. Things have definitely opened up with time. I must add, the change is very slow, and really depends on each project.”
Indian production house, ZEE Studios, have backed several successful films in the recent past. Ashima Avasthi, who is senior VP and Head Content at ZEE Studios, believes Indian filmmakers and movies have been making a global impact for the past ten years. “The fact that Indian filmmakers, Indian films, Indian stories are all somewhere making an impact. In my mind, it is not just evolution of an industry, but also the marketing, and how people now have access to content originating from across all borders. Were there no Shyam Benegal’s (of Manthan, Nishant, Mandi fame) and Govind Nihalani’s (of Aakrosh, Ardh Satya fame) making really interesting films earlier? Was there not a Satyajit Ray (of The Apu Trilogy, Charulata fame)? Of course they were! But, our films didn’t travel as much as they do today. As long as your story has a universal emotion, it will travel all over.”
Indian talent in demand?
Asked if the strikes had any impact at all in opening up new opportunities, she says, “I wouldn’t say that the strikes really opened up. I mean, it’s not like because there were no Hollywood entries (they lapped up our films). Therefore the demand for Indian films was more? I don’t agree. I think we are wanted for what we make. Does that mean that we are not getting that one or two extra slots open up?
Insisting that there aren’t many big Indian stars working in Hollywood, Lavingia also says many Bollywood stars have had agents in the US working for them for years. However, they are yet to find a good enough role, she adds.
From Ali Fazal’s Furious 7 cameo (2015) to Kapadia’s antagonist act in Nolan’s Tenet (2020) and Alia Bhatt was most recently seen in Gal Gadot’s Heart of Stone – Indian actors have come a long way in making space for themselves in Hollywood projects.
Indian stars in Hollywood projects in the last decade
Dimple Kapadia
It was huge feat for Kapadia to feature in a Hollywood film that was directed by Christopher Nolan. That she was cast in the role of the main antagonist in Tenet, defines how actors are now being cast in Hollywood projects from across the globe.
Priyanka Chopra
Chopra is the biggest Indian name in the current era that proves Hollywood studios are evolving past the ethnicities and countries of actors they are interested in casting. It was years ago when she essayed the lead role in ABC drama series Quantico and a pivotal part in Baywatch. She now regularly features in Hollywood projects in important roles.
Alia Bhatt
Bhatt made her Hollywood debut with none other than Gal Gadot in . While her character did have shades of Indianness, the screenspace she gets to share with Gadot iss commendable and so is bagging that important role in the Netflix
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Ali Fazal
He was among the first ones of the current lot of Indian actors making regular appearances in Hollywood films. His blink-and-you-miss part in Fast And Furious . Most recently, he was seen in Victoria and Abdul, Death on the Nile, and Kandahar.
Deepika Padukone
She made her Hollywood debut in 2017 with XXX: Return of Xander Cage. She played an important role in the film alongside Vin Diesel. She has not worked in any Hollywood projects since her debut.
Dhanush
Dhanush made a huge splash when he bagged a significant part in Joe Russo and Anthony Russo’s The Gray Man. The film released last year on Netflix. Before The Gray Man, Dhanush had also featured in the 2018 film The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir.
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