Big Ticket to Hollywood

Remember that song from Jhoom Barabar Jhoom? It depicted a ruffian-like Abhishek Bachchan trying very hard to talk the sophisticated Lara Dutta in to giving him his ‘Ticket to Hollywood.’ Well, Bachchan Jr. may still be waiting for his chance but many others including his iconic dad and global diva wife have already been there, done that. No matter how big these stars may be here in Bollywood, they definitely weren’t the first to start the trend. If one is to be kind and rewind back to the past, actors like Victor Banerjee were already making it big with directors like James Ivory way back in 1978. In fact, a little nugget for those of you who swear by Hollywood and feel pride at its Indian connection- this Calcutta-born actor even won the BAFTA for his role as Dr. Aziz Ahmed in David Lean’s film A Passage to India in 1986. Not only this, he went on to star in Roman Polanksi’s Bitter Moon in 1992.

Soonafter, the likes of Kabir Bedi and Gulshan Grover made their way to LA and bagged noticeable roles. People may remember Bedi star in a James Bond film Octopussy, while Grover’s claim to fame remain films like 'The Second Jungle Book', 'Prisoners Of The Sun', 'Cape Karma', 'Nephilim', 'Honour Killing', We're No Monks", Italian movie 'Les Mysteres de Sadjurah', 'Blind Ambition', 'Sweet Amerika' 'I Am Kalam' and 'My Bollywood Bride'. Even our own Om Puri aka Mogambo khush hua when he was applauded on essaying the demonic character of Mola Ram in the adventure series Indian Jones and The Temple of Doom made famous by Harrison Ford.

It’s not just the badass boys of Bollywood that have made a mark overseas. Largely known as arthouse veterans Naseeruddin Shah seen in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Om Puri in films like City of Joy, My Son The Fanatic, East is East, Wolf, Ghost and the Darkness and Charlie Wilson’s War have been making a memorable impact with their powerful roles. Anupam Kher has been taking his cut of the pie with films like Bend it Like Beckham and Silver Linings Playbook under his belt.  Taking the legacy forward have been talented and nuanced actors like Tabu and Irrfan Khan in films like The Namesake and Life of Pi. Irrfan in fact has become the new poster boy for significant roles in Hollywood in film after film like Jurassic World, Slumdog Millionaire, A Mighty Heart and has recently created a furore by turning down a Steven Spielberg film. 

The surprise package has been Anil Kapoor who shot his way to the Oscars with his very first American film Slumdog Millionaire which has paved his way to an alternate career.  So far so good. But like any trend that catches on like wild fire, there is a point when in the bid to not be left behind, every second eager beaver joins the race to international fame, often resulting in falling flat on his/her face and causing sizeable embarrassment on his/her videshi histrionics back home. So while Bollywood’s newest imports and pretty ladies Priyanka Chopra and Deepike Padukone go neck to neck in proving their talent on international shores with the movie version of Baywatch and The Return of Xander Cage respectively, I would like to make you wary of celebrating their victory before actually watching their films and judging their worth in these films for yourself. You can charge me for being a cynic but these few wonderful examples will tell you why I am not blowing the trumpet yet!

Amitabh Bachchan: Yes yes, he got to rub shoulders with Leonardo Dicaprio and Toby Maguire in a Baz Luhrmann film that is a classic adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s edgy take on the supposedly ebullient lives of the rich and the famous. But what was this legendary star doing in this film that could not have been done by any other lesser known actor?

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: And how can beautiful bahu be left behind when it comes to taking the bait when Hollywood beckons? So our mersmerising diva has not only been the face behind international brands like Loreal and taken a coveted seat among the jury at Cannes Film Festival but also sought to prove she is not just a dolled up beauty queen with a spate of films like The Pink Panther 2', 'Bride and Prejudice’, ‘Mistress of Spices’ and ‘Provoked'. However, she earned more brickbats than credit for her flat performances in most of them, questioning the whole idea of Indian actors earning roles through merit or pure good luck/PR.

Mallika Sherawat: She played Samantha err…an Indian peasant girl in The Myth starring Jackie Chan and more than the role, it was the slit in her gown and the bosom-popping gowns she strutted in at Cannes that got talked about. Of course, this whippersnapper of a star has even gone on to meet US President Barrack Obama on the back of her film Politics of Love.  She claims to be the first Bollywood actor to have ever met the US President. Don’t blame the President if he has banned watching Hindi films in the White House.

Frieda Pinto: She may have starred in many a film post her Oscar tryst with Slumdog Millionaire but what I fail to still understand is what has given her that privilege? Give me a Frieda and I will give you 10 more talented actors who could fit the bill. And mind you I have nothing against her but am still waiting to see a film of worth that makes me say, now that’s an award-winning performance right there!

Let me know if I have missed out on any name. It would be nice if Indian actors don’t just bite the big apple and instead choose to look beyond stereo-typical blink and you miss roles as well. Speaking of which, what exactly was Sonam Kapoor thinking when she decided to wear those horribly mismatched clothes and appear for a second in the Coldplay video ‘Hymn for the Weekend’? I guess that’s a topic that reels in a whole new debate so I will hold my peace for now.