Most Indian actors would give an arm and a leg for a Hollywood break. For most Bollywood actors, the ultimate sign of global recognition is the Oscars. It is considered the peak of their career. However, some Indian actors are virtually unknown until they make their presence felt at the Academy Awards. It is the Oscars that they owe their careers to. This edition, Corporate Citizen brings you the Indian origin actors discovered at the Oscars.
Frieda Pinto, a student of St Xavier’s College Mumbai, took part in many amateur plays. She even auditioned for roles in Bollywood movies, but without much luck. Like Dev Patel, it was her role in Slumdog Millionaire which propelled her to superstardom, and Frieda has been on a roll since. She has acted in several big budget Hollywood films like Rise of the Planet of the Apes, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Girl Rising. Her voice will also feature in the 2018 sequel to the blockbuster hit Jungle Book. Her Bollywood debut hasn’t yet happened, but Frieda has said that she would love to do a Hindi film in the future.
Dev Patel is now a known name across the world. His first film Slumdog Millionaire not only made him a household name, especially in India, the movie also bagged the Oscar for Best Film in 2009. Ever since, Dev Patel has made a career of playing an Indian on screen, most notably in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and the 2017 Oscar nominated film Lion. Slumdog Millionaire was an indie film on a small budget, and would have slipped by unnoticed, had it not attracted Oscar buzz. It is safe to say that Dev Patel owes his career to the Oscars.
Suraj Sharma gained International stardom after bagging the role of ‘PI’ Patel in the 2012 film Life of PI. He went through several rounds of auditions to land the role, and hasn’t looked back since. Life of PI was met with universal critical acclaim, and it went on to win four academy awards that year. Suraj then went on to star in the Million Dollar Arm and Homeland. This year, he will make his Bollywood debut in the Anushka Sharma starrer Phillauri. Few Bollywood actors manage to transition successfully to Hollywood. Suraj has done the opposite.
Eight year old Sunny Pawar took the world by storm by his performance in the 2017 Oscar-nominated film Lion. Sunny managed to wow the entire world with his performance and garnered rave reviews from fans and critics alike. In fact, at the star studded Oscar ceremony attended by Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone, the Indian that attracted the most attention was Sunny. In the midst of all the name and fame across the globe, the little star kid is said to be geared up for his next international project with Richa Chadha for the movie Love Sonia which is slated to be released this year. The cast also includes some other big names from both Hollywood and Bollywood comprising Frieda Pinto, Demi Moore, Manoj Bajpai, Anupam Kher, Rajkummar Rao and Sai Tamhankar.
By Neeraj Varty
