Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to make his Bollywood debut after reportedly being offered a substantial fee to play a villainous robot in an Indian sci-fi blockbuster.
“Arnie” already boasts a large South Asian fanbase and is said to be considering a role in Robot 2, directed by Shankar. Robot, the director’s 2010 hit, was at that time India’s most expensive film. The Terminator star is said to have been offered 1 billion rupees (£10 million) to play the android nemesis to the film’s leading man, the Indian celebrity Rajinikanth.
Despite the advancing years of the movie’s leading men, India’s entertainment press is keenly anticipating the prospect of Rajinikanth, 64, facing off against 68-year-old Arnie.
Securing the services of one of Hollywood’s biggest, if fading, names is also seen as a boost to the international clout of Indian cinema. Despite producing more than 700 films a year, 50 per cent more than Hollywood, Indian cinema generates only a fraction of the revenues — about $2 billion a year.
“Schwarzenegger has a huge following in India and that will only grow after this film,” Komal Nahta, an Indian film critic, said. “India does not have the global reach of American films but Hollywood stars and studios have recognised the strength of the market.”