Mike Tyson in Liger and 6 foreign crossovers in Indian cinema no one expected
The trailer for the Vijaya Deverakonda-starrer Liger just dropped, with Mike Tyson’s extended cameo being one of the biggest takeaways. With this, the champion boxer joins the leagues of Sylvester Stallone, Snoop Dogg, and other foreign celebrities who have had unexpected collaborations with the Indian film industry.
While the role is bound to impress boxing fans, some can even be skeptical as Tyson is depicted as a cowboy hat-wearing villain who abducts Ananya Panday’s character. As Deverakonda’s MMA fighter protagonist Liger attempts to rescue the damsel in distress, Tyson challenges him for a duel. Here’s hoping that Tyson’s cameo doesn’t seem to be forced or random in the final cut. For when it comes to pardesi-desi crossovers, Indian films have mostly had a mixed track record.
1. Sylvester Stallone (Kambakkht Ishqq)
The action star behind the Rocky and Rambo franchise has had some career duds in the 2000s. Old age and the same testosterone-fuelled roles weren’t helping his career. But none of his poorly received screen credits would be as embarrassing as his cameo in the disastrous Akshay Kumar rom-com Kambakkht Ishqq. As Kumar plays a Hollywood stuntman, one of his high-profile friends turns out to be Sylvester Stallone.
Sporting a sleeveless hoodie and a pair of Aviators, Stallone’s entry scene finds him rescuing Kareena Kapoor in an old-fashioned ‘hero-saves-the-girl’ routine. We find Stallone lifting a car and bashing up several hoodlums in an empty street that clearly looks like a film set. And once Kapoor is charmed with his heroics, Stallone looks at the camera and mumbles ‘Kambhakkt Ishqq’ for no reason!
Stallone also expressed hopes for collaborating with Salman Khan in the near future after the latter constantly tweeted praises for him. From asking his fans to follow Stallone on Twitter to confessing on how he trains to the Rocky song Eye of the Tiger, Khan left no stone unturned to express his love for Sly.
And finally, the Hollywood star did reply saying he could maybe make "the new Expendables" with him!
2. Snoop Dogg (Singh Is Kingg)
There’s something about Akshay Kumar films and unexpected foreign celebs. For many kids who grew up in the late 2000s, their introduction to rapper Snoop Dogg was through the closing credits of Singh is Kingg. Dressed in a tunic and a turban, Dogg grooves and raps to the film’s titular track that also features vocals from RDB and Kumar himself.
However, this cameo generated more positive reactions, with many praising the track. Still, Dogg’s verse is as random as his appearance, including lyrics like “What up to all the ladies hanging out in Mumbai” and “east west masala. Singh is the King so you have to follow”. Since the 2008 film, the rapper has actually gone on to collab on several other bizarre ventures such as rebranding himself as Snoop Lion (and then Snoopzilla), a track with Gangnam Style hitmaker PSY, multiple appearances in the WWE ring, and a lot more.
3. Arnold Schwarzenegger (I)
The Tamil thriller I stars Vikram as an aspiring bodybuilder. Unsurprisingly, Mr Universe winner-turned-Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger is a major inspiration. Even the gym in which the protagonist trains is called Arnold Gym. So, even though the former Governor of California wasn’t directly involved in I, he accepted director Shankar’s invitation for the film’s audio launch.
Schwarzenegger came all the way to Chennai, being graced by not only Shankar and Vikram but also megastar Rajinikanth. The performances from the event included a bodybuilding display which touched the Terminator star. While addressing the audience, Schwarzenegger joked on how he came to India for “a job interview”. To quote him, “Thank you for giving these bodybuilders a job but what about me?! I want to do your next movie, okay?”
4. Akon (RA One)
Lending his voice to the tracks Chammak Challo and Criminal, Akon marked his Bollywood debut with the SRK-starrer RA One. The sci-fi film otherwise dwindled from popularity pretty soon and it is only Akon’s songs that continue to dominate Indian pop-culture.
Both tracks were composed by Vishal-Shekhar, who also taught the Senegalese-American singer to pick up some Hindi phrases as can be seen from the video for Chammak Challo’s making. The Indian music duo would also go on to collaborate with the British pop-rock band The Vamps for an independent track called Beliya.
5. Ben Kingsley (Teen Patti)
Born as Krishna Bhanji to a British mother and a Gujarati father and bagging an Oscar for playing Mahatma Gandhi, Ben Kingsley had to do a Bollywood movie at some point in his career. The result was the thriller Teen Patti that also starred Amitabh Bachchan and R Madhavan. Kingsley plays a British mathematician who invites a fellow math professor (Bachchan) for a high stakes gambling game.
The movie passed pretty much under the radar and is the only Indian production that Kingsley was a part of. Interestingly, he also acted in a Sri Lankan English-language film called A Common Man which in turn was a remake of A Wednesday. Incorporating the same premise as the thriller, Kingsley essayed the role of Naseerudin Shah’s character from the original.
6. Kylie Minogue (Blue)
Australian pop star Kylie Minogue is just one of Akshay Kumar’s many firang friends as she makes a special appearance in the song Chiggy Wiggy in Blue. The music video also features Kumar’s co-stars like Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan. The cameo seems bizarre and out of place but as The Telegraph (UK) reported, the Grammy winner was apparently paid a whopping sum of $1 million for her bit role in Blue.
Minogue’s appearance could hardly benefit the film which tanked at the box office. After all, the singer still doesn’t have as much mainstream popularity when it comes to the Indian audience.