THE INDIAN CONNECTION (the concluding part)

Hello Everybody,

How have you been??

Today I bring to you the concluding part of last week's posting on THE INDIAN CONNECTION. So, am back with the never ending list of people who somewhere have an Indian lineage behind them or some of our very own people from India have made it big or let's put it striving hard to make it big in the global arena in the area of performing arts....yes in films! I certainly appreciate their efforts which are praiseworthy....after all its not a rosy path to make your mark in a foreign soil....a new place, new set of people, diverse cultures, different work culture & ethics all of which bring in different set of challenges...and to start from there and to rise to great heights....is not a joke!!

So, why am I wasting your time....go on and read the concluding part of the post...and do not forget to post in your precious comments!!

Love, Sonyaa

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Did you know that Ben Kingsley, legendary Hollywood actor was born in the Indian state of Gujarat?? No surprises, he played the role of Gandhi, directed by Richard Attenborough to the T which also won him an Oscar!!! He is of half Indian and half English descent. His father, Rahimtulla Harji Bhanji, was a Kenyan-born physician of Indian descent while his mother, Anna Lyna Mary Bhanji, was an English-born fashion model of Jewish-European extraction. Pssst....his real name is Krishna Bhanji....isn't that a revelation!! (Now, that apart that he changed his name to Ben Kingsley) He has played a variety of roles in his career spanning a few decades, recently Indian actress Aishwarya Rai starred opposite this great actor in the film, The Last Legion.

Now that brings us to Aishwarya Rai who has globe trotted across the world and made India proud firstly by being crowned the Miss World way back in 1994, a successful model, kitty of prestigious endorsements and having proven her mettle as an actress in Hindi films..she has now set her eyes on Hollywood after having had a lukewarm response to her films like Bride and Prejudice, The Last Legion (starring Ben Kingsley & Collin Firth), Mistress of Spices, Provoked she is determined that she’d be noticed in the hugely successful detective film …Yes, The Pink Panther (the same role which Beyonce Knowles played but of course on a different mission!!!)

Julia Roberts is a huge fan of actress Aishwarya Rai whom she once commented on being "The most beautiful woman in the world, more beautiful than any Hollywood actress." What a compliment!!!

(By the way few years back Mallika Sherawat with all her oomph made her three scene debut in the Jackie Chan starrer film The Myth and telly actor Sudhanshu Pandey also had a blink-n-miss appearance in the film…remember!!!)

 Persis Khambatta, former Miss India way back in the sixties was the first among the few women in India to make her bid for Hollywood. Though she could not make a mark but some films worth a mention are: Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Night Hawks

Hollywood actress Liz Hurley is married to Indian businessman Arun Nayyar.

Jimi Mistry of half Indian- Half Irish descent is another actor who has made a mark playing niche characters in Hollywood.

Kal Penn.....quite a modern name, you'd think he has and the immediate thought that comes to your mind that perhaps somewhere he may be related to Hollywood actor Sean Penn.... nooooo but you'd be disappointed to know that his name is not read the way it's supposed to be and that he has no connection with Sean Penn whatsoever....in fact his real name reads as Kalpen Suresh Modi! He is of Gujarati Indian descent and the first Indian-American actor to have had a successful career in mainstream Hollywood.

Sarita Chowdhury, strikingly beautiful lead whose leonine hair, dark piercing eyes and mixed lineage (half Indian, half English) enhance her playing of sultry exotic parts. Choudhury made an impressive debut as the shy Indian woman who has an affair with Denzel Washington in Mira Nair's often touching "Mississippi Masala”. Previously she had worked for Cinecitta (Italian for "film city") film studios in various production capacities, edited the Italian section of Fodor's travel guides and worked as a model in London.

Unlike Sarita Chowdhury who has a mixed parentage, Archie Punjabi may not have the combination of those oh-so perfect genes but this young actress has already worked with the likes of Angelina Jolie, Ridley Scott, Russell Crowe etc.

Costume Designer, Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to win an Oscar for Best Costume Design for the biographical film on Gandhi in 1982

Radha Mitchell, no she does not have an Indian lineage attached to her (even if it may be so….I don’t know about it) all I know is that it is only her name that is Indian. Her full given name, Radha-Rani, is the name of the true love/main consort of the god Krishna in Hinduism, followed by the word for queen (Rani - from various Indian languages).

(Pssst: And now some more news for you, in the Akshay-Kareena starrer film Kambakht Ishq has macho man Sylvester Stallone and the very beautiful Denise Richards making a cameo in a Hindi film! And now let's apply reverse gears….Sushmita Sen, Deepal Shaw, Randeep Hooda make their Hollywood debut in Drena Di Niro’s (yes she is Robert De Niro's daughter!) film Karma Confession & Holi while Anil Kapoor comes up in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionnaire)

And of course, if you think I have missed out on any…don’t forget to write in and share with us your precious views and comments on the same. Hope you enjoyed today’s posting, do write in!!

One thing, you must have got for sure…that in show business, India is the focal point of all activities whether it is people of Indian descent making a mark in Hollywood or be it Indian themselves – whether as actors, directors, producers or even as costume designers!!

And now what’s even more interesting that Hollywood is taking a keen and renewed interest in Hindi films, so much so that actors abroad are touching Indian shores either to act or to get directed!

And before I end this post...I'd like to congratulate Aamir Khan for his second outing (post-Lagaan) at the Oscars for his sensitive portrayal of a dsylexic child in Taare Zameen Par....and I do hope he wins the Oscar!!! Cheerio!! Read previous week's post >>> The Indian Connection