I want to work with that lady from Devdas: Van Damme

His Belgian roots and action films earned him the moniker ‘Muscles from Brussels’. Hollywood star Jean-Claude Van Damme is back in action with Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables 2. But the Sudden Death (1995)actor also has Bollywood — and one of its leading ladies, Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan — in mind.

“There are so many good movies(in Bollywood). One film I remember watching is Devdas,” says Van Damme. “I honestly want to go to India and make a film there. Let’s see if something works out.”

Ask the action star (we remember seeing him bond with Salman at IIFA Dubai in 2005) if he knows of any other Bollywood actor, and he answers, “Yes, that lady from Devdas? Is she Aishwarya Rai?”

And who does he think would be an ideal co-star for him? “It has to be Aishwarya (Rai). She is absolutely gorgeous,” he adds with a laugh.

File Photo: Aishwarya Rai

Meanwhile, the 51-year-old actor has done more heavy-duty martial arts stunts in The Expandables 2. Has he ever considered using a body double? “There’s always a difference in the stunt when a body double does it and when you do it yourself. When you are doing a stunt you know exactly where to fall, where the punch is. It’s like acting in action,” he explains.

For the uninitiated, Van Damme teams up with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Stallone in The Expendables 2.
Despite being one of the biggest action stars in the ’90s, Van Damme feels it was a dream come true to work with this cast. “I used to buy tickets and chase them (as a fan),” he laughs.