MUMBAI: A ticket to Hollywood.
Well, that’s what most Bollywood directors and actors dream of. The latest to try to her luck in Hollywood is actress Udita Goswami.
Udita is back in Mumbai after staying in Los Angles for almost two months. She met Danny Boyle, Natalie Portman and Gillian Jacobs at week-long Oscar festivities and also attended screening of the Warner Brothers film ‘Hall Pass’ starring Owen Wilson.
“It was fantastic meeting those guys from Hollywood. They were so warm and nice and wanted to hear all my stories from Bollywood,” said Udita. The actress plans to shift base to LA and said she wants to meet new people, work in a new set-up and start from scratch.
“Hollywood might work better with the way I look. I don’t look like the girl-next-door or the typical Indian beauty. I won’t stop just because other people have failed. You have to take chances in life,” she opined.
Udita is obviously not the first one to have thought of going to Hollywood after failing to leave an impact in our own industry (of course, there have been a few success stories as well). Remember Mallika Sherawat’s ‘Hiss’ that bombed at the box office without even making any noise? “Hollywood is not judgemental. Everyone gets a chance. There is simply no nepotism. And I got a fair chance,” Mallika was quoted as saying when asked about her liking for Hollywood.
If we’ve bombshells from Bollywood ready to storm the West, there are foreign beauties learning how to groove in a true Bollywood style. Caterina Lopez, Jennifer Lopez’s cousin sister, will be doing an item number in Ankush Bhatt’s ‘Bhindi Bazaar’.
“Bollywood is such a colourful and energetic industry. I love the music and the mood they have in their movies. It’s such a lovely atmosphere here. Bollywood does respect and give chance to talented people. I am very excited to be a part of it. It was and is my dream to work here,” Caterina said in a recent interview.
Director Prashant Chadha is not only shooting his latest ‘Aazaan’ like a Hollywood movie, but has even decided to cast Hollywood actress Amber Rose Revah of ‘From Paris With Love’ fame in it. “I remember watching Amber in ‘From Paris With Love’ and her exotic Middle-Eastern looks made her apt for the part. So I sent across the script and she jumped on board,” explained Prashant.
‘Aazaan’ will also see Playboy bunny Candice Boucher playing the role of a sand artist. “I never imagined myself in a Bollywood film but now I’m looking forward to its premiere. I love your country and I want to see a lot of India,” said Candice.
We wonder if this exchange of talent is perhaps a passing trend or is something that’s going to stay here for long. Calling it globalization of cinema, Prashant said, “It was bound to happen and this trend is here to stay. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li have all been exported from Asia to mainstream American productions. Similarly from South America, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas have all made an impact in Hollywood. We have equally good talent here and it’s just a question of writing stories that require characters from all over the world. I’m looking forward to it.”
Film critic Indu Mirani felt it’s a good thing because any interchange of talent is always beneficial for both. “In any case, we have much to learn from Hollywood,” she summed up.