Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who has a film career spanning over five decades and more than 200 films under his belt, is widely regarded as one of the most successful and influential actors in the history of Indian cinema. After over 40 years of dominating the Indian movie scene, he made his Hollywood debut in 2013's historical romantic drama film The Great Gatsby, in which he played a Jewish gangster.

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Bachchan starred alongside Hollywood heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire and was applauded for his performance by DiCaprio, who said he was ‘astoundingly talented’.

Bollywood household name Alia Bhatt has earned various best actress accolades in local Indian awards for her outstanding performances, but it was her portrayal of Gangubai Kothewali in the 2022 Indian Hindi-language biographical crime drama film Gangubai Kathiawadi which aired on Netflix that shot her to international fame.

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It came as no surprise that the streaming giant would seize the opportunity and quickly engage her in the American spy action thriller film Heart of Stone. Starring alongside Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan, Bhatt played the role of Keya Dhawan, a lead antagonist against Gadot’s and Dornan’s characters.

Known for his work predominantly in Hindi cinema, Randeep Hooda made his Hollywood debut with the 2020 American action-thriller film, Extraction, which was released on Netflix. In the film, which also starred Chris Hemsworth and David Harbour, Hooda played the role of Saju Rav, a retired Lieutenant Colonel who later became Head of Security of Ovi Mahajan–a parallel lead alongside Hemsworth's Tyler Rake.

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Watched by an estimated 90 million viewers in the first month of release, Extraction was one of the most successful films on Netflix. Hooda earned plenty of praise for his high-octane performance and there were even talks of his character potentially receiving an origin story.

From winning the Miss World 1994 title to starring in 48 films in five languages, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has long established herself as a leading global icon. In 2007, Rai appeared in her first Hollywood production, The Last Legion, but it was her appearance in 2009’s The Pink Panther 2 which caught the eyes of the international audience.

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In the film, Rai played the role of criminology expert Sonia Solandres, alongside American comedian and actor Steve Martin. She left such a lasting impression on Martin that he would continue to speak fondly of her more than a decade later, tweeting, “She was such an elegant and delightful acting partner in The Pink Panther 2.”

In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and producer, Anil Kapoor has appeared in multiple iconic, popular, and cult films for which he has received several accolades. He was already one of the most recognised Indian film actors but it was his first English language film, 2008's Slumdog Millionaire, that gained him global attention.

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The British drama film, which received rave reviews, would go on to win a number of international awards including four Golden Globe Awards and eight Academy Awards including Best Picture. Kapoor himself bagged the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

As the saying goes, it's never too late and you're never too old and Dimple Kapadia is a testament to that. Never one to rest on her laurels, Kapadia worked through the 80s and 90s of the Indian entertainment industry by constantly challenging herself and expanding her range, which established the actress as one of Hindi cinema's leading actresses.

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At the age of 63, American filmmaker Christopher Nolan cast her in the 2020 science fiction action thriller Tenet, in which she played the role of Priya, an arms dealer from India. She left such a lasting impression that actor-director Kenneth Branagh talked about her role and said: “She’s got a really smashing part in Tenet. I know that our master director, Mr Nolan, was thrilled with her and our leading man, John David Washington was completely in love with her by the time they finished working together.”

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