Shabana Azmi in Spielberg-produced Halo, Pravessh Rana in Apple’s Foundation; new wave of Indians heading to Hollywood

In recent years, Indian actors such as Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Priyanka Chopra, Anupam Kher and several others have appeared in high-profile Hollywood projects. And now, a new wave of actors landing plum gigs in international projects has started. 

Shabana Azmi will appear in a major supporting role in the Steven Spielberg-executive produced series Halo, based on the popular video game series of the same name. Dhanush will star in The Gray Man, directed by Avengers: Endgame helmers Joe and Anthony Russo and featuring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in starring roles. Kubbra Sait and Pravessh Rana will appear in the big-budget Apple TV+ series Foundation, based on the seminal novels by Isaac Asimov, and Sobhita Dhulipala and Sikandar Kher will appear in Dev Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man. 

“My agent in London got in touch with me for this role. Initially, there was a date clash but thankfully things worked out and I can’t wait to start shooting!” Shabana Azmi told HuffPost India in an interview. “It’s a completely new territory for me as it deals with Artificial Intelligence.”

“When my nephew first found out, he went O-M-G. Now, that expression singularly restored my faith in my own celebrity,” the actor said, adding that her role isn’t ‘small’. “I want to be relevant. I don’t want to be a relic in a museum. My nephew and other kids in the family have been helping me with understanding Halo, the video game,” she added.

The Russo brothers said that they were ‘excited’ to work with Dhanush, who has previously appeared in the international project The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir. “Super da thambi! Excited to be working with @dhanushkraja and good luck with #JagameThandhiram,” the Russos wrote in a tweet, sharing the trailer for Jagame Thandiram.

Kubbra, who will appear as Phara in Foundation, alongside Pravessh Rana, had been sharing several pictures during the making of the show. “I am excited to be a part of Foundation and cannot wait to see the audience’s reaction to the show. The trailer has dropped and it looks amazing. Rest all, don’t want to share any spoilers apart from saying that I am very happy to be a part of it,” she said in a statement. 

About Monkey Man, Sobhita told ANI that she had auditioned for it five years ago. She said it was an ‘incredibly wholesome and introspective’ experience working on the project. The actor added, “This is the closest I have been to my own self, my family, and my pursuits. I shot for Monkey Man during a global health crisis, which has its share of inconveniences but that aside, I didn’t find my journey during the film particularly challenging or difficult. I enjoyed every second of the ride.”

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Also read: Shabana Azmi once said it’d be easier for her to convince Steven Spielberg to cast her in film than Farhan Akhtar, Zoya

Additionally, Priyanka Chopra will next be seen in The Matrix Resurrections and the Russo Brothers-produced Amazon series Citadel, which will also get an Indian spin-off spearheaded by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK.