By ndtv.com
After introducing Brazilian supermodel Giselle Monteiro in Love Aaj Kal, director Imtiaz Ali is all set to launch a New York based half Pakistani, half Czech supermodel Nargis Fakhri in his upcoming movie Rockstar.
The 21-year-old Nargis, who has also featured in the 2009 Kingfisher Calendar has been cast opposite Ranbir Kapoor in the movie. According to rumours, Nargis will be playing a dancer in Rockstar. (Photo: Kingfisher Calendar)
Nargis grew up in New York and was a contestant on Cycle 3 of America's Next Topmodel competition. She was voted off in the first episode.
Nargis joins a long list of women from foreign shores who came to India and conquered hearts. Here's a look at some of the stunning international talent that Bollywood has acquired over the years.(Photo: Kingfisher Calendar)
Sarah Thompson, who is known for her role in Cruel Intentions 2 will be seen opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Prakash Jha's forthcoming film Rajneeti.
Uruguayan born Mexican actress and model Bárbara Mori was seen getting hot and steamy with Hrithik Roshan in Kites. In fact the scenes involving Bárbara and Hrithik are so hot that papa Roshan was reportedly ordered off the sets by director Anurag Basu to put his leading couple at ease. Now that's one Latin bombshell everyone is hoping will explode! (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Former Miss Sri Lanka Jacqueline Fernandez made her debut opposite superstar Amitabh Bachchan inAladin.
Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress Kylie Minogue's first brush with Bollywood has not been a happy one. She failed to impress critics in India with her appearance in Anthony D'Souza's multi-starrerBlue, for which she reportedly received a whopping $1 million. The scribes said Minogue's performance failed to "sizzle" in her item song Chiggy Wiggy, suggesting the pop star is "as sexy as a fat housewife in a kaftan", reported contactmusic.com.
Ali Larter too had an ominous start to her Bollywood career. Her debut film was the Salman Khan-starrerMarigold and it ended in box office catastrophe. However the American actress and fashion model insists her love affair with Indian cinema is far from over. "We watched a bunch of Salman Khan's movies and what was incredible to me was they're just about joy. They're about sheer entertainment. To the amount of people who watch Bollywood movies, it allows them to dream in life. They dream of better places, foods and colors. It just excites your senses in so many ways. There's something so joyous about them," she was quoted as saying.
Claudia Ciesla, currently heating up the Indian small screen as a housemate on Bigg Boss, is a German model, actress, and singer of Polish descent. Ciesla started modeling at the age of 15 working for shows involved in fashion and dancing. She then went on to do many glamorous bikini style and fashion modeling shoots. The 22-year-old Claudia starred in Karma - Crime. Passion. Reincarnation, a $5 million dollar Hollywood film made in India. If reports are to be believed, there will be more Bollywood projects for Claudia in the days to come.
Brande Roderick was cast opposite Ritesh Deshmukh in the 2003 comedy Out of Control, as the American wife of an Indian man who, on a visit to India, gets pressured by his family into marrying a local girl. While the film didn't exactly send the cash registers 'out of control', this former Playboy Playmate more than made up for any disappointment. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
She was perhaps Bollywood's best kept secret till Saif Ali Khan's Love Aaj Ka' actually hit the theatres. When 19-year-old Brazilian model Giselle Monteiro first hit B-town, she couldn't speak Hindi or dance to save her life. However that small problem didn't stop her from making a name for herself as Harleen Kaur.
Giselle told media she was destined to come to India and play a role. "My dad used to call me Indian when I was a kid and sing songs for me on India. But the actual inspiration started from an Opera (Caminho das Indias) that we have in Brazil. The soap opera has sparked a mini India boom in Brazil," she was quoted as saying in an interview.
Interestingly, Giselle auditioned to play Jo, Saif's girlfriend in the second half of Love Aaj Kal. It was director Imtiaz Ali's wife who actually thought Giselle fit the bill for the 1965-girl-next-door Harleen. And rest, as they say, is history. (Photo courtesy: Elle magazine, Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
If you think that Giselle Monteiro is the only foreigner Saif launched in his maiden home production 'Love Aaj Kal', think again. The film has also put into top gear the Bollywood career of Florence Brudenell-Bruce, who dumped her Formula 1 boyfriend Jenson Button last year. In the film, she played Saif's Swiss Miss Jo, the part originally meant for Giselle Monteiro. Florence has certainly kept busy since splitting with Button. The 23-year-old English model has been asked to spice up the John Lewis swimwear brand and also pose for Elizabeth Hurley's bikini range. She is also the face of the new Knickerbox underwear campaign. After making heads turn in India, Florence now wants to do a 'big Hollywood period drama' with Russell Crowe. And with looks like that, who's going to stop her? (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Former Miss Universe UK Lisa Lazarus will join other foreign-born beauties like Somy Ali, Katrina Kaif and Ali Larter and who have caught actor Salman Khan's fancy. The Welsh beauty adds to the glam quotient alongside newcomer Zarine Khan in Veer. There are reports of Salman going out of his way to be nice to Lisa, and that includes teaching her Bollywood dance steps. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Hollywood actress Denise Richards made no secret about her how excited she was to work in her first Bollywood production Kambakkht Ishq. The former Bond girl waxed eloquent about co-star Akshay Kumar's kissing skills.
"Akshay was so down to earth and very genuine. He made me feel very comfortable, plus he's a good kisser! I can see why he's India's sexiest actor!" Contactmusic quoted her as saying. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
She was the bombshell that threatened to explode, but never did. Of Norwegian-Iranian parentage, Negar Khan shot to fame with the Chadti Jawaniremix video. She went on to act in films likeRudraksh, Shaadi Ka Laddoo and Double Cross: Ek Dhoka.
Her Bollywood career came to an abrupt halt when she was deported from India on charges of visa norm violation in 2005. Negar recently made an appearance as a bathing beauty in the Indian I'm a celebrity...get me out of here clone, Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Bruna Abdullah is another Brazilian beauty who has been making waves in India. She made her name hosting 'India's Hottest' show on Channel V and there could certainly have been few other women so perfectly qualified for the job. Bruna has already made the shift from the small to the big screen with a bold item number (Rehem Kare) in Anubhav Sinha'sCash (2007).
While Bruna has always denied rumours of a link-up with actor Salman Khan, it has clearly done no harm to her growing popularity. Even off the screen, Bruna has managed to catch the eye with scorching photoshoots for magazines like FHM and Maxim. (Photo courtesy: Maxim. Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Although born and brought up in India, Kalki Koechlin, the actress who made waves with her debut film Dev D, is of French descent. Her parents had come to India 38 years ago and settled in Pondicherry after they fell in love with the country. After a brief stint in theatre, Kalki decided to try her luck in Bollywood and was cast as Chandramukhi (Chanda) in Dev.D.
Her portrayal of an innocent schoolgirl (Leni) who transforms into a vivacious prostitute (Chanda) received much critical acclaim. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
South African model Ilene Hamann got her break in Bollywood with Pooja Bhatt's Rog in 2005. Although the film didn't do too well at the box office, Ilene was noticed for her performance.
While Ilene had no problems handling intimate scenes with co-star Irrfan Khan, she did admit to fighting a grim battle with Hindi. "Can't deny. It was tough.
Especially, the pronouncing part. But the real challenge was to understand what I am saying. The unit was quite co-operative, and the result looks reasonable," she was quoted as saying. Maybe that is why this South African beauty never returned for an encore in Hindi films. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
If the public choked on this popcorn, don't blame Jelena Jakovljevic. The Dubai-based Serbian ramp scorcher's item number Dupatta Beimaan Re� was one of the high points in the film Popcorn Khao Mast Ho Jao that sank without a trace at the box office. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Linda Arsenio is an American actress and model from Texas. While she has made special appearances in films like Mumbai Salsa and Aloo Chaat, she is perhaps best known for her performance as Jessica Beckham in the 2006 Hindi film Kabul Express.
Besides Bollywood, this graduate of the Actors' Conservatory in Dallas has also tried her hand at Tamil and Telegu films. She was recently seen inPazhassi Raja, the most expensive Malayalam film ever made. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Rosa Catalano has had a tough time overcoming the tag of superstar Saif Ali Khan's ex-girlfriend. Although the Italian beauty moved to India for Saif, she decided to stay on and try her luck oin Bollywood after the couple split.
She was seen doing a sizzling item number Jaane Kyun for Samar Khan's Shaurya and then in films likeNakshatra and Monopoly. Besides rubbing shoulders with 12 other celebrity glam gals in the TV Reality Show 'Khatron Ke Khiladi Level 2', Rosa also has a supporting role in Partho Ghosh's Ek Second Jo Zindagi Badal De?
In an interview Rosa said she wanted to break the mould for foreign filmstars in India. "I do not want to get typed as yet another item girl in Bollywood, just because I have white skin. I do not want to be slotted as a foreign bimbette. The reason I did only item numbers mostly is that the roles which I was offered till now were not substantial at all. Now that I am in India, I am not going to give up easily till I make it in Bollywood...", she was quoted as saying. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Author and former model Sophie Dahl has always had a taste for the unconventional. Dahl achieved a degree of notoriety in 2000 after appearing in an advertisement for the Yves Saint-Laurent perfume brand Opium.
The ad featured a photograph of her posing nude on black satin. She had no problems admitting that she did not fit the commonly accepted idea of a model. "Bar my height, I couldn't have looked less like a model. I had...a perfectly round face with plump, smiling cheeks. The only thing I could have possibly shared with a model was my twisted predilection for chain smoking," she was quoted as saying in an interview.
Dahl was reportedly asked to 'darken up' for her role as Crystal Chaurasia in The King of Bollywood, a comic satire about an ageing superstar. In the film she played a gorgeous NRI documentary filmmaker of partly Indian origin who comes to Mumbai from the UK to make a documentary on the life and times of actor KK (Om Puri). (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Once upon a time 'Bijli girl' Yana Gupta wanted to dance her way into the record books. "I want to set a record by working in the most number of item songs. Crossing 100 should not be too difficult," she was quoted as saying.
Since then the Czech-born beauty has gone on to ample justice to her name that literally means 'gift of the Gods'. Besides the Babuji song from Dum that made her a household name, she has been seen in films like Kaisay Kahein, Aparichit and Rakht. Yana was one of the strongest contenders in the TV showKhataron Ke Khiladi hosted by Bollywood star Akshay Kumar. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Thai singer, model and actress Tata Young has never shied away from her image as a sex symbol. With albums like Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy behind her, this popular Asian star was voted as one of the '50 sexiest women in the world' by Malaysian publications.
In 2004 Young expanded her reach to India, recording the song, Dhoom Dhoom for the Bollywood blockbuster Dhoom. Later, she embarked on herDhoom Dhoom tour.(Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Tania Zaetta, Australian actress of Italian origin and television presenter, was first seen in India as co-presenter of the popular TV show Fear Factor.
She made a mark as an American billionaire's wife in the 2005 comedy Bunty Aur Babli, and also starred inSalaam Namaste the same year. She later appeared in another Bollywood film Mr. White Mr. Black in 2008. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
US-born British actress Antonia Bernath made her feature film debut with Subhash Ghai's Kisna: The Warrior Poet in 2005. In an interview, Anotina said she was excited about her Bollywood experience. "The character and story attracted me, plus the fact Kisna is an Indian film made it even more exciting. I mean, the scale is enormous and this sort of thing would have cost a fortune if they made it in the West...He (co-star Vivek Oberoi) was really lovely! I know there are rumours about him being egotistical and all sorts of things. They are not true. He's very down to earth...", she was quoted as saying.
While she has not been seen in Bollywood afterKisna, Antonia has gained television experience as Priscilla Presley in the CBS television film, Elvis(2005), Lucy Bellham in Heartbeat, and Nikki Brown in Holby City. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
It was considered a minor casting coup when writer-director Kaizad Gustad managed to rope in Bo Derek for his film Boom. Even though the film had three hotties Madhu Sapre, Padma Lakshmi and Katrina Kaif in leading roles, Derek, the veteran of many Playboy appearances, managed to hold her own.
One of the most interesting moments in the film has gangster 'Bade Mian' (Amitabh Bachchan) running to meet Bo, who comes out of the water in a gorgeous sari. The throwback to the famous scene from the 1979 Blake Edwards film 10 that catapulted Bo to instant stardom, is not something anyone can miss.
Aerobics instructor and Thai-Danish actress Lena Christensen overcame the challenge from 100 other girls to bag the leading role in Naagesh Kukunoor'sBombay to Bangkok (2008).
She had known about Hindi films from her mother who was hooked to the cinema of the 1980s and 90s, and thanks to her experience as an aerobics instructor, she fitted right in with Bollywood's song-and-dance routine. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Shannon Esra, an actress from South Africa, made her Bollywood debut with her portrayal of Stephanie in Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love. Dying her hair blonde and speaking in an American accent, Esra played a Canadian who travels to India to stop her boyfriend (played by Kushal Punjabi) from marrying.(Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
English actress Alice Patten, the daughter of Chris Patten, a prominent British conservative politician and the last governor of Hong Kong, won many hearts for her nuanced portrayal of Sue McKinley in the 2006 cult film Rang De Basanti. Despite the film's resounding success, Patten has shown no hurry to return to Bollywood. "I ought to try my hand at other kinds of films," she was quoted as saying in an interview. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Rachel Shelley was already a well established actress in the United Kingdom, before playing Elizabeth Russell opposite Aamir Khan in Lagaan in 2001. The film went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film. In 2004 she auditioned for, and got, the part of Helena Peabody in the hugely successful lesbian drama series "The L Word". (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
Given the sheer number of films she has done and the success she has enjoyed, it is easy to forget that Manisha Koirala is Nepalese by birth. Born into the politically prominent Koirala family, she made her acting debut in the Nepali film Pheri Bhetaula (1989), and was cast by Subhash Ghai in his 1991 blockbuster Saudagar.
There was no looking back after that and Manisha has several critically-acclaimed performances to her credit in films like Khamoshi: The Musical, Bombay, Akele Hum Akele Tum, etc. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
No list of foreign beauties in India could be complete without making a mention of the women from Pakistan who have lit up our silver screen. Pakistani actresses like Salma Agha (Nikah/PatiPatni/Tawaif), Zeba Bakhtiyar (Heena), Somy Ali (Andolan/Buland/Krishnaavtar) and Meera Khan (Nazar) all crossed over to make their mark. (Text: Wikipedia, Agencies)
There will be no dearth of international telent in the days to come. While Frenchwoman Luchiya Cats will romance Govinda in Excuse Me, Please, a Hindi remake of the Hollywood comedy The 40-year-old Virgin, Japanese actress Chigusa Takaku will make her debut with Aparna Sen's film The Japanese Wifebased on Kunal Basu's short story. In the film Rahul Bose plays a character involved with two women.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment