As Alia Sets Out to Hollywood, Here Are 6 Other Actors & Their H’Wood Debuts

From Shabana Azmi to Priyanka Chopra, these female actors have been part of Hollywood projects.

Tabu in The Namesake, Priyanka Chopra in Quantico, and Deepika Padukone in XXX: Return of Xander.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

Alia Bhatt, the lead actor of the box-office success, Gangubai Kathiawadi, is set to make her debut in Hollywood with a film titled Heart Of Stone. Ahead of her debut, here are 7 other female Bollywood actors who’ve worked in tinseltown.

1. Shabana Azmi

Shabana Azmi, the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee, is an icon of Indian cinema, and entered Hollywood with John Schlesinger’s Madame Sousatzka. Her major Hollywood role was a part in Mira Nair’s film The Reluctant Fundamentalist which is based on the book of the same name by Mohsin Hamid. She also stars in Midnight's Children (2012), Ronald Joffé’s City Of Joy (1992), and Son of the Pink Panther (1993).

Shabana Azmi with director Mira Nair.

Shabana Azmi in a still from The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

2. Tabu

While Tabu has starred in several successful films in Bollywood and in films from South India, her Hollywood debut too received critical acclaim. She starred in Mira Nair’s film The Namesake with Irrfan Khan, based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s book. Tabu also had a supporting role in the Academy Award-winning film Life of Pi.

Tabu and Irrfan Khan in a still from The Namesake.

3. Aishwarya Rai

From lead to antagonist, Aishwarya Rai has portrayed a range of characters in her Hollywood ventures. She made her debut in 2007 with The Last Legion and went on to star in films like Gurinder Chawla's Bride & Prejudice (2004), The Pink Panther 2 (2009), The Mistress of Spices (2005), and Provoked (2006).

Aishwarya Rai made her Hollywood debut with Bride & Prejudice.

4. Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra’s arc in Hollywood is one for the ages. The former Miss World entered Hollywood with the drama-thriller Quantico. She then acted in films like Baywatch (2017), Isn't It Romantic (2019), and We Can Be Heroes (2020).

Priyanka Chopra in Quantico.

In 2021, Priyanka Chopra played the role of a grown up Sati in the fourth installment of the Matrix franchise: The Matrix Resurrections. She also has Jim Strouse’s Text For You and Citadel with Richard Madden lined up for release.

Priyanka Chopra in a still from The Matrix Resurrections.

5. Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone, who is one of Bollywood’s highest paid actors, starred in XXX: Return of Xander Cage alongside Vin Diesel, Kris Wu, and Ruby Rose among others. She played the role of Serena Unger. The film was the sequel to XXX and XXX: State of the Union.

Deepika Padukone played Serena Unger in XXX: Return of Xander Cage.

6. Dimple Kapadia

Dimple Kapadia made her Hollywood debut with the high budget Christopher Nolan directorial Tenet. She played the role of Priya Singh, an arms trafficker. Tenet also stars Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine, John David Washington, and Kenneth Branagh.

Dimple Kapadia's performance in Tenet was widely appreciated.