Hollywood has grown to become a melting pot of nationalities, so-called because amid the bright lights and big stars, the entertainment industry can boast talent from backnotes all around the world. India is no different, with its stars crossing the Pacific to claim their spot in Hollywood’s star-studded firmament. From the likes of Mindy Kaling and Priyanka Chopra, to Ben Kingsley and Dev Patel, here’s a list of famous Hollywood celebrities with roots in India.
Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is the creator and star of the Hulu series, The Mindy Project, and is a five time Emmy nominated writer. Kaling is of Indian and British heritage, born to an Tamil father and an Indian mother who live in the United States. Her real name is Vera Mindy Chokalingam, and she is fluent in Tamil.
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra is an Indian actress and singer-songwriter, whose work has spanned from Bollywood to Hollywood. Chopra was born in Jamshedpur to parents who were both physicians in the Indian Army, which had the family relocate around India a lot. At seventeen, she won the Miss World 2000 pageant, after which she began her film career with the 2002 Tamil film, Thamizhan. In 2016, Chopra starred as the antagonist in the hit action movie Baywatch.
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley is an English actor who has appeared in over 130 films in a career spanning almost six decades. Kingsley’s parents were British, with his father hailing from a Gujarati-speaking family. His birth name is Krishna Pandit Bhanji, and he chose his professional name during his teenage years to honor his father, who had adopted the surname from his own father, who was a civil surgeon. Kingsley won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the 1982 movie, Gandhi, and has received four additional Oscar nominations.
Dev Patel
Dev Patel is an English actor best known for his role in the multiple Academy Award-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire. Patel was born and raised in London, and his parents are both of Gujarati origin. His film career began with the teen drama, Skins, and was quickly followed by his role in Slumdog Millionaire which earned him international critical acclaim. Patel won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor too.
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan is an Indian actor, producer, and television personality, whose work has transcended the entertainment industry in India. He is often referred to as the “King of Bollywood” and continues to be one of the most bankable actors in the country. Khan was born in New Delhi and is of Pathan ancestry, and his professional career began as a TV actor at the age of twenty. Khan has written, produced and costarred in many of his most successful movies, including My Name Is Khan, Don, and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari is an American actor, stand-up comedian, writer, and producer, best known for his roles in the Netflix series Master of None, and the ABC sitcom Parks and Recreation. Ansari was born in Columbia, South Carolina to parents of Tamil heritage. He was raised in Bennettsville, South Carolina, and is fluent in Tamil and English. Ansari won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in the Television Series Musical or Comedy for his performance in Master of None, and was also nominated for Best Comedy Album for his Netflix special, Buried Alive.
Sarita Choudhury
Sarita Choudhury is an English actress whose work has spanned across both Hollywood and Bollywood. She is best known for her roles in the Academy Award-winning film, Mississippi Masala, and the multiple Golden Globe-nominated television miniseries, Homeland. Choudhury was born in London to Indian parents, but spent much of her childhood living in Bangladesh. She is a fluent Bengali speaker and her career began with roles in Indian cinema, before she moved to Hollywood in the early ’90s.
Randeep Hooda
Randeep Hooda is an Indian film actor who works in both Hindi and Telugu language films. He made his Hindi debut as the male lead in the movie, Monsoon Wedding. Hooda was born in Haryana to an Punjabi family, and his mother is a British citizen. At sixteen he dropped out of school to pursue an acting career, and went on to become a popular actor in India. In 2011, he was a part of two big-ticket hits, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster and Jannat 2.
Hollywood has truly embraced its strong Indian cultural roots, thanks to the likes of Mindy Kaling, Priyanka Chopra, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel, Shah Rukh Khan, Aziz Ansari, Sarita Choudhury, and Randeep Hooda. Each of these celebrities are the living embodiment of success and have profoundly impacted the film industry in Hollywood, and around the world.
