India – We have already honored the Slavic actresses that made it big in Hollywood, so now we will concentrate on a different movie industry – Bollywood. It is based in Mumbai, India – is one of the biggest film industries in the world in terms of employees and annual film productions. Bollywood does not exist as a physical place as is the case with Hollywood. Also, Bollywood is only a portion of the Indian cinema industry as a whole since it refers only to 43% of the Indian net box office revenue, other industries being Telugu, Tamil and others.
When comparing annual tickets sale, 4 billion tickets are sold for Bollywood movies vs. about 3 billion tickets for Hollywood films. By individual ticket sales, Bollywood is the #1 movie industry on the planet, however, when looking at annual revenue, Hollywood is still number one.
Hollywood produces 500 films per year on average and has a worldwide audience of 2.6 billion whereas Bollywood produces more than 1000 films every year and has a worldwide audience of 3 billion so in terms of viewership, Bollywood is number one in the world. It’s no wonder a lot of models and actresses of Slavic descent decided to try their luck in this growing industry.
1. Nargis Fakhri
Fakhri is a model and actress born in Queens, New York to Mohammed Fakhri and Marie Fakhri. Her father is from Pakistan while her mother is Czech.
2. Claudia Ciesla
Claudia was born in Poland to a Polish father and German mother. She appears in Bollywood movies but started as a TV personality in Indian reality shoes.
3. Suzanna Mukherjee
Suzanna was born in Ukraine to a half-Ukrainian/half-Russian mother and to a Bengali father. She appears both on TV and cinema.
4. Natasa Stankovic
Nataša Stanković is a Serbian model, dancer and Bollywood actress.
5. Yana Gupta
Yana Gupta (née Synková) is a Czech model, actress, author and singer famous in Bollywood.
6. Lisa Ray
Ray was born in Toronto to a Bengali father and a Polish mother. She stars in Indian television series as well as films.
7. Elena Boeva
Elena Boeva is a Bulgarian model and actress. She starred in TV commercials, movies and reality shows in India.
8. Kristina Akheeva
Kristina was born in Khabarovsk, Russia, to a Tajikistani-Russian father and Russian mother. She is an actress and a model in both Bollywood and Tollywood.
9. Jelena Jakovljević
Jelena Jakovljevic is a Serbian model, beauty queen, fashion designer and former actress in Bollywood.
10. Dijana Dejanovic
Dijana Dejanovic was born in Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina. She is a model and film actress known for her works in Bollywood.
11. Leila Becic
Leila Becic was born in Switzerland to Bosnian parents. She is a fashion model and actress in Bollywood.
12. Nevena Krstic
Nevena Krstic is Serbian fashion model popular in India.
13. Nikolina Nikoleski
Nikolina Nikoleski was born in Zagreb, Croatia. She is a leading dancer and choreographer of Bharatanatya. She regularly performs in various international TV shows, as well as Indian TV shows.
14. Daria Farkas
Daria Farkas is a Croatian fashion model working in India.