Prem Chopra takes first step into Hollywood

After stars like Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher and Anil Kapoor it is now Bollywood's original villain Prem Chopra who is going the Hollywood way with crossover film Heartland.

Directed by double Emmy winning director Fred Holmes, the film will see the 73-year-old as one of the central characters of the story, which revolves around two villages in Punjab and Texas.

The actor who has worked in over 400 Hindi and Punjabi films said that he accepted the movie only because he had a meaty role and not for the "international tag" which seems to be all the rage nowadays.

"I am the central character in the story which revolves around two villages, one in Texas and one in Punjab. These two settings are completely different yet similar because the people share similar values, like love for the land and respect for elders," Chopra said.

The actor, who was last seen in Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra's Delhi-6, will be playing an upright Punjabi farmer Ranveer Singh, faced with a unseemly dilemma when his NRI grandson comes seeking approval to marry an American.

The film which stars Chopra's co-star from Delhi-6, Divya Dutta and Snakes on a Train beauty Amelia Jackson Gray as central charcters, will be shot in Ludhiana and New York and will be out later next year.

While many will attribute the sudden interest in India to the success of the Mumbai based Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire, Chopra says that his film is a far cry from the gritty thriller that received plenty of brickbats for its portrayal of the slums.

"There is no scope for any comparison between the two films, our film is far removed from urban India and its problems. It is a positive portrayal of the country as it depicts the story of people living in different cultures and how love conquers all," said Chopra.

The veteran, who was born in Lahore and brought up in Shimla, struck terror in the hearts of many with his signature line, "Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra" and has played villain to everyone from Dharmendra to his son Sunny Deol in a career spanning more than four decades.