The list showcases some popular Indian actors who are establishing the much needed ethnic diversity in Hollywood and world cinema.
For the longest time, Indians were stereotyped in international cinema as people of colour with a peculiar accent. Their source of reference was inevitably Abu from ‘The Simpsons’. They would always be reduced to being cabbies, motel or convenience store owners, or shy nerds from high school. Thankfully the image of the country has undergone a drastic change over the years, thanks to some remarkable Indian origin actors who have raised the bars with their superior acting skills. They are responsible for changing the perception of Indians around the world.
Here are some famous actors in Hollywood who command status, money and a huge fan following-
Irrfan Khan: The late actor has an impressive body of work in Hollywood with movies like Slumdog Millionaire, The Amazing Spiderman, Jurassic World, Lion, Life of Pi, Inferno, The Namesake, A Mighty Heart, and The Darjeeling. Along with working full time in Indian cinema, he was a well-known Hollywood actor too.
Dev Patel: The chocolate boy of British-Indian origin was first noticed in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Over a few years, the actor has managed to create a room for himself with films like Lion, Hotel Mumbai, The Man Who Knew Infinity, The Best Marigold Hotel and so on. The actor is a well- known face in British films as well. He has also done a few series like Modern Love, Skins, The Newsroom, Mister Eleven and India from Above.
Freida Pinto: The Mumbai born and bred actor made it big in Hollywood with her role as Latika in Slumdog Dog Millionaire. She went on to do several other movies like Rise of Planet of Apes, Immortals, Only, Trishna and so on.
Kunal Nayyar: British-born and Delhi-raised actor is better known as Dr Rajesh Koothrapalli to his fans, thanks to his memorable role in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The man who popularized Indian accent in Hollywood has done several movies and TV series. His role as Sandeep in Criminal: UK is getting rave reviews.
Kal Penn: He played Kumar Patel in Harold and Kumar series and instantly became a fan favourite from the very first movie. Kal Penn or Kalpen Suresh Modi rose to fame from Van Wilder movie franchise to his brief appearances in The Namesake, House, How I met your mother, The Big Bang Theory and so on. The Indian origin actor was also associate director of White House official Engagement in Obama’s second term as President.
Thus, Bollywood has more to offer to the world than Priyanka Chopra, Anupam Kher and Aishwarya Rai. The list is about a few of them.
