The curtain raiser

What if he has had to settle for the idiot box at the fag end of his career? This talented Bengali actor has acted in a number of English films, and excelled at them. His most significant role was in David Lean’s Oscar-winning film, A Passage To India (1984) — a visually exciting drama of a sexually repressed and spiritually bankrupt British-ruled India. The nervous Dr Aziz played by Victor Banjeree, is an educated Indian man leading a quiet life under the shadow of British domination and "eager to impress thewomen". He is the director’s representative of the "real" India.

SAEED JAFFREY:

His roles are many and varied. From television (The Far Pavilions in 1988) to A Passage to India to Attenborough’s Gandhi (in which he played the role of Sardar Patel), Saeed Jaffrey has palyed many cameo roles. The most memorable is, of course, Nasser in My Beautiful Laundrette. Set within the Asian community in London during the Thatcher years, Nasser runs a laundrette. The interaction of the other roles with Nasser and his "profitable laundrette" makes for a refreshing comedy. Unfortunately, Jaffrey is better remembered these days for being thrown out of the British sitcom Coronation Street for a "drinking problem".

SHABANA AZMI:

With more than a 100 power-packed performances in theatre and films to her credit, this lady, as we can see, is still going strong. Among her roles in English films, the most talked-about was in Madam Sousatzka with Shirley McLaine, whichshe played in her effortless, convincing style. She also featured in The Son of Pink Pantherth seasoned actors like Roberto Benigni and Herbert Lom.

GULSHAN GROVER:

The archetypal Bollywood villain might have entered the international circuit through sheer fluke with just one English film, Jag Mundhra’s Monsoon (Mundhra is known in Hollywood for his soft porn films), but for all the infamous hype and criticism that the film received, Gulshan Grover played the only decent role in the film as Brian Miranda, a drug smuggler. Perhaps his potential remains untapped and given the chance, the world could have more of this bad man.