First it was Mallika Sherawat for "Unveiled", then Akshay Kumar was taken for "Australian Bandstand" and now Salman Khan's "Marigold" is ready for release - the West appears to be increasingly welcoming Bollywood stars.

These films will not feature Indian actors in character roles or blink-and-you-miss-it-parts as in the past, but as the main protagonists.

Akshay, who will star with British actress Rachel Weisz in "Australian Bandstand", is also expected to romance Mexican beauty Salma Hayek in a joint production of Hollywood Studios International and India's Carving Dreams Entertainment.

Big or small, there is no dearth of offers from the West for Bollywood actors who are getting good opportunities to rub shoulders with veterans from Hollywood.

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan was recently offered an important role in Ridley Scott's thriller "Body Of Lies", alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. But the Bollywood icon hasn't yet given the green signal.

"Ridley Scott wants me to play a part of the Jordanian in the film. I've asked for more details. I need to see the script before I take a call. Let's be realistic ... who will notice me when DiCaprio and Crowe are in the same film?" Amitabh was quoted as saying.

But the Big B has agreed to work in Mira Nair's "Shantaram", an adaptation of Gregory David Roberts' novel. While actor Johnny Depp, star of films like "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Finding Neverland", will be playing the lead role, Amitabh will be the kind-hearted Mumbai gangster.

"Shantaram" is about an Australian bank robber and heroin addict who escapes from prison, flees to India and makes Mumbai his base.

On the other hand, Mallika's "Unveiled" is the story of a Muslim woman who has two husbands and one lover.

Then there is Los-Angeles based producer Uru Patel's ambitious project "Hanuman" that is getting bigger by the day.

Patel has roped in Hollywood director Luis Mendoki to direct the movie, where Keanu Reeves is paired with Shilpa Shetty as Lord Rama and his wife Sita. Indian actor Aseem Merchant will play Rama's younger brother Laxman.

All these projects are in a nascent stage but Salman Khan's international project "Marigold", directed by Willard Carroll, is ready to hit screens. In the love story, the Bollywood hunk is paired with Ali Larter.

British filmmaker Danny Boyle, who has made acclaimed docudramas such as "Trainspotting" and "Shallow Graves", visited Mumbai last month to adapt Vikas Swaroop's satire on consumerism entitled "Q&A".

Swaroop's bestseller is about a young Mumbaikar who wins a fortune on a "Kaun Banega Crorepati" (KBC) styled game show. Boyle has roped in "Mera Pehla Pehla Pyar" star Ruslaan Muntaaz to play the lead role of Ram Mohammad Thomas.

And the list does not end there. Bollywood actor-director Satish Kaushik is the leading man in a British film "Seven Seas", based on the bestseller "Brick Lane" by Bangladesh-origin author Monica Ali.

"It is a big achievement for me because nobody has been offered a lead role in Hollywood films except Om Puri. He played the main lead in 'East is East'," said Kaushik.

Veteran Hindi cinema actor Naseeruddin Shah's "Shoot on Sight" about the July 7, 2005 bombings in London has also gone on the floor with Jagmohan Mundhra wielding the megaphone.

"Our film storyline is based on Scotland Yard's order to shoot suspicious Muslim terrorists after the July 7, 2005 London bombing. It highlights the predicament of the predominantly peace loving Muslims in the face of Islamic extremism," said producer Aron Govil.

Shah plays a Muslim police officer of Scotland Yard, who's asked to hunt down suspected suicide bombers involved in the July 7 attacks. The film will also star British actress Greta Scacchi as Naseer's wife.

Earlier, attempts by Bollywood actors to step into Hollywood were sporadic. Only a handful like Persis Khambatta, Kabir Bedi, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Gulshan Grover could transcend the borders.

Sabu, who became famous as the 'Elephant Boy' in Hollywood, was the first Indian actor to find a firm foothold in the global arena.

Till Shilpa Shetty made it big in Britain by winning reality show "Celebrity Big Brother", Aishwarya Rai, whose first international release was "Bride and Prejudice", was one of the few Indian actors known abroad.

Her "Last Legion" was recently released in Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain in April. Intense actor Irrfan Khan too was seen in "A Mighty Heart" with Angelina Jolie.