Salim Ghouse

This guy’s been around, seriously. An alum from the Film & Television Institute of India, Pune, he’s basically lived half his life on stage or in front of a camera. Since the ‘80s, he’s been doing everything with The Phoenix Players Mumbai—acting, directing, mentoring, you name it, probably even making coffee once in a while. The man’s got range; his solo play “Troubadour,” inspired by Rumi, traveled from Edinburgh to Dublin, Prague, Lahore. Then “Shakespearewallah” took him all the way to Stratford upon Avon, which is like Shakespeare’s home turf. You’ve seen his face, even if you don’t realize it—Hindi films like “Sardari Begum,” “Trikaal,” “Chakra,” “Soldier,” “Koyla,” and a bunch more. He’s not just a Bollywood guy, though; he’s crossed over into Malayalam (“Thazhvaram,” “Udayon”), Telugu (“Antham,” “Rakshana,” “Muggaru Manogalu”), and Tamil cinema (“Vetri Vizha,” “Thiruda Thiruda,” “Chinna Gounder,” etc.). English-language films? Yup—“The Deceivers,” “The Maharajah’s Daughter,” “The Perfect Murder,” “Kim”…he’s done it all, even short films and a Pali project. TV lovers know him from “Subah,” “Inkaar,” and of course, “Bharat Ek Khoj,” where he played everything from Krishna to Tipu Sultan. His voice? Super recognizable—he’s done audiobooks, promos, even dubbed Scar in “The Lion King” and Leonidas in “300” for Hindi audiences. And just to round it all off, he’s a martial arts grandmaster. No big deal, just a ninth dan black belt and founder of Zendokai Kokusai. Honestly, is there anything this guy can’t do?