Nothing beats the excitement of a Bollywood-Hollywood crossover. It’s a delight to watch the big names of the West dance to the desi tunes or speak a few lines in their endearing broken accented Hindi. With Bollywood being increasingly recognised globally, these collabs and their cameos have become rather common.
From Akon’s groovy beats on ‘Chammak Challo’ (Ra.One) to Will Smith grooving on ‘Radha’ from Student of the Year 2, let’s check out some of the biggest Hollywood crossovers and cameos in Bollywood:
Akon in Ra.One
Global pop icon Akon sang for the 2011 film Ra.One starring Kareena Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan. Akon’s ‘Chammak Challo’ and ‘Criminal’ went on to become big hits of the time and had us all dancing to his tunes.
Snoop Dogg in Singh is Kinng
Snoop Dogg sang and danced to the title track of Singh is Kinng. It is said that the film’s main lead Akshay Kumar went out of the way to get Snoop Dogg on board for the film.
Will Smith in Student of the Year 2
Karan Johar retained the famous song ‘Radha’ for the second installment of Student of the Year. The song features Will Smith alongside Tiger Shroff, Aditya Seal, Tara Sutaria, and Ananya Panday. Will Smith is said to have wished to be part of a Bollywood sequence and KJo made it come true.
Ben Kingsley in Teen Patti
Ben Kingsley, well known for his role in Gandhi, plays the role of a mathematician alongside Bollywood’s Big B, Amitabh Bachchan. Although the Leena Yadav film – also starring Shraddha Kapoor – didn’t fare well, Kingsley’s performance was much appreciated.
Paul Blackthorne in Lagaan
Paul Blackthorne played a pivotal part in Lagaan as Captain Andrew Russell. He received critical acclamation for his role as the colonial oppressor against Aamir Khan. Blackthorne learned Hindi for six months before the shoot to prepare himself for a convincing performance.
Gordon Liu in Chandni Chowk to China
Gordon Liu played the role of the antagonist in Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone starrer Chandni Chowk to China. Celebrated for his part in Kill Bill, Liu played the assassin so convincingly that we couldn’t help but dislike him.
Kylie Minogue in Blue
The underwater Bollywood film starring Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Lara Dutta features Kylie Minogue who woos the audience with her smoldering dance on the famous song Chiggy Wiggy. Kylie Minogue also came down to India for the film’s promotions.
Sylvester Stallone in Kambakkht Ishq
Sylvester Stallone appears briefly for a scene in Kambakkht Ishq. In his true element, he saves Kareena Kapoor Khan and Amrita Arora from street bullies. The film also stars Akshay Kumar and Aftab Shivdasani in lead roles.
(Contributed by Deblina Munshi)