Bollywood Needs To Bring Back These 19 Videshi Actors Who Stole Our Hearts In Desi Films

Srishti Magan

We’ve had our fair share of foreign influence (for more than just a movie script) in Bollywood. We’ve had pop stars appear in song videos (remember Kylie Minogue in Blue and Snoop Dogg in Singh Is Kinng?), cameo appearances by Hollywood’s superstars (Sylvester Stallone and Ben Kingsley), and then we’ve had actors who made us hit Google search the moment we saw them on screen. 

Instagram

So here are 19 actors who made a brief, and at times not-so-brief, appearance in various Bollywood movies, leaving us forever hopeful to catch them on screen again.

1. Mish Boyko as Oleksander a.k.a. Sikander: Queen

The cute British guy who wormed his way into our hearts (even if Rani (Kangana Ranaut) failed to interpret his hints), Mish Boyko may have been one of Rani’s 3 hostel friends (remember Tim and Taka), but he’s the one we all fell in love with.

Facebook

Mish has also appeared in a few British movies (Dracula Untold) and TV series (The Tunnel). Cast him again Bollywood, and soon?

sinemia.com

2. Marco Canadea as Marcello: Queen

The guy who ultimately gave Rani her first kiss, Marco Canadea is the Italian guy we couldn’t help but crush on! 

Women Planet

He later appeared in movies like Rush and Streaker

simonannand.com

3. Rebecca Breeds as Stella: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Milkha Singh (Farhan Akhtar) wasn’t the only one to fall for Stella’s beautiful smile in the movie. 

mrpopat.in

Rebecca Breeds has since then appeared in movies like Three Summers and had a recurring role in popular series like Pretty Little Liars and The Originals

mumslounge.com.au

4. Mehdi Nebbou as Laurent: English Vinglish

He was the French guy we all wanted Shashi (Late Sridevi) to end up with because he made us believe that genuine affection could surpass even language barriers.

Pinterest

An accomplished actor, he’s appeared in multiple movies before and after English Vinglish, such as Witnesses, We Monsters etc. and he even appeared in the TV series Homeland

dasimperium.com

5. Martin Henderson as Will Darcy: Bride and Prejudice

One look at him and we knew, Lalita (Aishwarya Rai) couldn’t possibly land up with anyone else, and frankly, why would she even want to.

openchest.com

This New Zealand actor has also appeared as Dr. Nathan Riggs in the TV series Grey’s Anatomy (is there any doctor on that show who is not drop-dead gorgeous?).

daman.co.id

6. Daniel Gillies as Johnny Wickham: Bride and Prejudice

He may have been a devil in the movie, but he was one that we couldn’t help falling a little in love with – the ultimate bad guy indeed.

Pinterest

Apparently, this bad guy has a history of ‘devilish’ roles, as he also appeared in the popular TV series The Vampire Diaries and The Originals as Elijah Mikaelson.

theroguemag.com

7. Alice Patten as Sue McKinley: Rang De Basanti

The girl who taught everyone, Indian or foreigner, what ‘Ma ki aankh’ meant, she seemed like the perfect choice for Diljeet (Aamir Khan). 

movified.com

Alice has also appeared in plays such as Hamlet and TV series like Jonathan Creek, Merlin etc. 

merlin.wikia.com

8. Steven Mackintosh as Mr. McKinley: Rang De Basanti

He played the role of Sue’s grandfather in the movie, and his performance as a British officer conflicted with guilt over the treatment of Indian prisoners, was amazing. 

Daily Social

A well known English actor, Steven has also appeared in movies like Stock, Two Smoking Barrels and Luther, among others.

imdb.com

9. Paul Blackthorne as Captain Andrew Russell: Lagaan

As Captain Andrew Russell he definitely had us hating him for being the cruel British officer. For his first film, his talented performance was commendable indeed.

Indian Express

Since then he has done different roles in both movies and TV series, and in 2012 he joined the cast of the TV series Arrows.

YouTube

10. Rachel Shelley as Elizabeth Russell: Lagaan

The English woman who gave her heart to the village boy Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), Rachel Shelley was a perfect fit in the Bollywood romance drama. 

fansshare.com

Though we know her for Lagaan, Rachel’s most famous role has been as Helena Peabody in the Showtime series The L Word.

Pinterest

11. Sarah Thompson as Sarah Jean Collins: Rajneeti

As Samar Pratap’s (Ranbir Kapoor) girlfriend, Sarah was a pawn with a very unfortunate end in this political drama. 

mtvstat.in

Sarah has also appeared in movies like Babysitter Wanted, Cruel Intentions 2 etc. 

magweb.com

12. Giselli Monteiro as Harleen Kaur: Love Aaj Kal

A former model, her brief role in Love Aaj Kal was endearing to watch, and she even landed a role in another movie Always Kabhi Kabhi (which failed at the Box Office). 

highlightsindia.com

She has since then quit acting and is pursuing architecture. 

wikimedia.org

13. Florence Brudenell-Bruce as Jo:  Love Aaj Kal

A former English model, she appeared as Jaivardhan (Saif’s) temporary love interest in the movie. 

Celebrity Pix

Love Aaj Kal was her only tryst with acting and she did not take up any roles, post that. 

popsugar.com

14. Bárbara Mori as Natasha/Linda: Kites

Even though the movie didn’t wow the audience, Barbara Mori definitely made it to the celeb gossip mill while shooting for Kites

Kopihijau

Her Bollywood debut film may have failed, but she has won international accolades for various other movies such as Inspiración etc.

thefamouspeople.com

15. Clive Standen as Charlie Brown: Namastey London

Jazz’s (Katrina Kaif) English boyfriend left a lot to desire in terms of personality, but he sure looked like he could play rugby.

YouTube

He recently appeared in the movie Patient Zero and he’s also been a part of the series Vikings. 

Popsugar.com

16. Tania Zaetta as Cathy Mathur: Salaam Namaste

This Australian actor is remembered for her role in Salaam Namaste (as Arshad Warsi’s wife) but her first Bollywood role was actually in Bunty aur Babli. 

who.com.au

She currently appears as a celebrity speaker on Australian news shows and also has a dedicated blog where she shares information on health and beauty products. 

bondibeauty.com.au

17. Erika Kaar as Olga: Shivaay

Shivaay was Erika’s film debut, and though the film failed at the Box Office, she earned her fair share of fans.

YouTube

The last movie she appeared in was American Gods. 

Twitter

18. Linda Arsenio as Jessica Beckham: Kabul Express 

Though Kabul Express was her first Hindi movie, this American actor has appeared in many Tamil and Telugu movies as well.

blogspot.com

After Kabul Express, she also had brief roles in movies like Mumbai Salsa, Help etc. 

99doing.com

19. Toby Stephens as Captain William Gordon: Mangal Pandey: The Rising

As Captain Gordon, Toby Stephens shared screen space with Aamir Khan and still managed to hold his own! 

blogspot.com

But then he’s had a stellar career where he’s been a Bond villain in Die Another Day and has also appeared in TV series like Jane Eyre, Black Sails etc. 

canali.com

Know of any other actors who enjoyed a stint in Bollywood? Let us know in the comments section below. 

You might also like
12 Tweets To Read Before Watching ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’, With SRK And Mahesh Babu As Mufasa
We Met Rohan Joshi & TISS Members & Here’s Some Things They Want You To Watch
9 Indian Celebrities Who Were Body-Shamed But Responded Like Absolute Legends
Delhi Held An Abhay Deol Lookalike Contest & Let’s Just Hope Abhay Wasn’t Following It
Allu Arjun Arrest: As ‘Pushpa 2’ Actor Returns Home, Here Are All The Updates On The Case
‘Welcome’ Actor Mushtaq Khan Got Kidnapped. What Happened Next Is Unbelievable