My other career

On Friday I'm heading out with a bunch of Time Out Mumbai folks to see Mangal Pandey - The Rising, the most expensive Bollywood movie ever made and easily the most eagerly anticipated film in India for years. I have a small part in the film as Colonel Wheeler - a moustacioued imperial bastard who stands there and looks, well, imperial. Alright - so it's not a big part but I'm sure if you hit the pause button you will be suitably impressed by my moustache. Not to mention my enormous hat:


I loved my three days filming The Rising and I've been thinking about looking for another Bollywood movie role - something with some actual lines and stuff - for ages. Yesterday evening I trudged unenthusiastically into a preview show of a TV documentary on Jinnah at the Nehru Centre and introduced myself to Dolly Thakore, the hostess. Our conversation went something like this:

Dolly: How long have you been living here, Iain?
Me: About two years.
Dolly: And how old are you?
Me: 34.
Dolly: I see. And can you ride a horse?

It turns out that Dolly is a casting director and is looking for a white actor for an unspecified role in an unspecified film. I assured her that I could ride a horse (well, I did, once. I even galloped. By mistake). She asked me to send her some photographs of myself.

And you know what? I think I will.