There are around 1,000 British and foreign actors and actresses who regularly appear in hit Bollywood movies. So let's find out who the best ones are with this list of the greatest British Bollywood stars:
Katrina Kaif
Deemed the best onscreen lover to heartthrob Ashkay Kumar, Katrina Kaif is a British Indian superstar who had to make is onto the top British Bollywood list. Katrina has acted in over 20 Bollywood movies and six of those have been alongside Ashkay. Katrina had a multicultural start to life. She was born in Hong Kong, but grew up in Hawaii and Britain. Katrina also has a British mother and an Indian father, who had eight children in total. Perhaps it was this cultured start, or her large family, that helped ease Katrina into the world of Bollywood; or perhaps it was the Hindi and dancing lessons Katrina took. Either way, Katrina has become one of the most-loved Bollywood celebrities.
There is no dearth of beauty in Bollywood.But, there are times only a gori will do -- like, for example, a period piece set during the Raj that requires a memsahib.
Lately, a number of foreigners have been lured by the razzle dazzle of desi cinema. FoolzParadize.org lists some of them:
Rachel Shelley in Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India
She played the cutie in Ashutosh Gowarikar's Oscar-nominated epic, who defies her brother and surreptitiously coaches Aamir Khan and Co in the game of cricket. Consequently, and predictably, Shelley is bowled over by Khan.
Post-Lagaan, the English actress now plays a lesbian, Helen Peabody, in the hit sitcom, The L Word. She is also featured in a romantic comedy, Gray Matters starring Tom Cavanagh and Heather Graham.
Antonia Bernath in Kisna: The Warrior PoetNot even Subhash Ghai's vivacious heroine teamed opposite Vivek Oberoi could save this ambitious, yet chaotic, love story from bombing.
Her non-desi body of work includes the award-winning television mini-series Elvis (she plays Priscilla Presley), medical drama series Holby City, and St Trinian's, which also features Colin Firth, Rupert Everett and The OC star Mischa Barton.
Alice Patten in Rang De BasantiRemember Sue of Sue kar mere mann ko fame?
Tthe youngest daughter of Lord Chris Patten, former Governor of Hong Kong, played a documentary filmmaker with grit in Rakesh Mehra's breakthrough film. And it wasn't just Aamir (her co-star in the film) who loved her; everyone on the RDB sets did.
Following her adventure in Bollywood, the British actress took on the role of Ophelia for the West End production of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Linda Arsenio in Kabul ExpressAfter dabbling in theatre and modeling in the United States, this Texas girl tried her hand at Indian cinema. After a stint down South, she landed the role of competitive photo journalist Jessica Beckham in Kabir Khan's Kabul Express.
At present, Arsenio is committed to Manoj Tyagi's Mumbai Salsa, produced by Vikram Bhatt.
Shannon Esra in Salaam-E-IshqEsra's damsel in distress act attracted Govinda's attention in Nikhil Advani's desi version of Love Actually.
Sadly, it looks as if the failure of Salaam-E-Ishq left Esra disappointed enough to make her way back home to Sandton, South Africa.
Annabelle Wallace in Dil Jo Bhi KaheyWallace, along with filmmaker Romesh Sharma's son Karan, made her debut in the trite love story, Dil Jo Bhi Kahey.
It sank without a trace and both its discoveries appear to have gone underground as well!
Sophie Dahl in King of BollywoodProlific writer Roald Dahl's granddaughter essays the role of Crystal Chaurasia -- a half-Indian, half-British filmmaker exploring the mad world of a fading actor (Om Puri) in this spoofy flick.
Dahl went on to feature in 'The Children's Party at the Palace', an event put together to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday, as well as a remake of the 1953 Oscar-nominated Little Fugitive.
Brande Roderick in Out of ControlThis Baywatch stunner made her Bollywood debut opposite Ritesh Deshmukh in the eminently forgetabble comedy, Out of Control.
While Ritesh is slowly and steadily making his mark in Hindi films, Roderick has not done so bad either. Her Hollywood projects include films Starsky and Hutch and Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror, besides guest appearances in shows like Joey and Fear Factor.
Next, Roderick will be seen in the Scarlett Johansson vehicle, The Nanny Diaries.
