Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 18, 2014)

It’s not every day that you hear of the bureau chief of an internationally renowned financial paper playing a bit role in a Bollywood movie, that too a commercial potboiler. But when you have Salman Khan on board, anything is possible.

 Mirror has learnt that Sajid Nadiadwala, who is making his directorial debut with the Salman Khan-Jacqueline Fernandez starrer Kick, was running from pillar to post to find an “extra” to play the role of a British diplomat.

 “They wanted a guy who didn’t only look the part, but also could convincingly pull off the lines. They couldn’t find anyone who fit the part until Chetan Bhagat, who’s written the script, came up with an idea,” said a source close to the film’s production.

 It is learnt that the bestselling novelist, an IIM graduate who was an investment banker before becoming a full-time writer, suggested the name of his friend James Crabtree, the Mumbai bureau chief of the London-based newspaper Financial Times. “And James who is a Bollywood fan, instantly agreed to come on board,” the source informed.

An elated James, who will be making his acting debut with Kick, said: “Of course I want to be in a Bollywood film but I was hoping there would be no song and dance because I can’t do either!”

 He admitted that many foreigners come to India to fulfil their Bollywood dreams. “I’m fortunate to be in a film without actually trying,” James said, adding that he plays a British diplomat working in the Indian embassy of London. “The ambassador happens to be the father of Salman’s love interest, and while we and another Brit diplomat are having a discussion, all hell breaks loose as the former’s mother walks in.”

 The other Brit diplomat is a Swiss named Bernard with a thick German accent. “Clearly, Bollywood is not concerned about cinematic realism,” he guffawed.

 James is disappointed that he didn’t get a chance to share screen space with Salman Khan. “He was there on the set, but I didn’t get a chance to interact with him. My wife and I have been a fan of his films. We watched his Ek Tha Tiger with subtitles. It was a lot of fun,” he said.

 Is he eager to pick up more Bollywood assignments? “Well, yes. Friends have been calling up to say that I should quit journalism and become the next Tom Alter,” he joked.