Bollywood and Punjabi films heartthrob Diljit Dosanjh shocked Hollywood actor Alex Reece when he gave him a shout-out from the stage of his music concert in London.

After working in quite a few British and Hollywood movies, this year Alex made his debut in Indian cinema. He played the negative lead opposite Diljit in the Punjabi film Sajjan Singh Rangroot directed by Pankaj Batra, and is now looking at playing more villainous roles in Bollywood next.

Diljit’s production team had arranged VIP passes for Alex and some other cast and crew members of the movie to attend his live concert at Wembley arena in London. Alex was already feeling overwhelmed witnessing the humongous fan-craze for Diljit at the musical event, when all of a sudden Diljit mentioned him amidst a packed crowd of 12,000 fans.

Recognizing him has Diljit’s co-star, some of his ultra-lively Punjabi fans in the crowd instinctively lifted Alex on their shoulders and started dancing. “I was so surprised and overjoyed, I almost froze,” laughs the Hollywood actor.

“It took me a while to get hold of my thoughts. I have never witnessed such fervor and frenzy in my life,” exclaims Alex, who is well-known for his appearance in a mega-budget James Bond commercial starring Daniel Craig.

“Even during the making of the film, Diljit always made it a point to praise me and appreciate my work. But with this live shout-out from stage, he took it to just another level. This was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life and I will never forget his gesture,” says Alex.

British actor Alex Reece who has acted in Hollywood flicks is also known for his appearance in a mega-budget James Bond commercial starring Daniel Craig. But when the actor decided to do Indian movies, he wasn’t sure he would be welcomed in the industry.

His skepticism has been proved wrong by popular Bollywood and Punjabi cinema star Diljit Dosanjh, with whom Alex made his debut playing the villain in the recently released Punjabi film Sajjan Singh Rangroot directed by Pankaj Batra.

Impressed with Alex’s work as the negative lead, Diljit who plays the title role of Sajjan Singh (with rangroot meaning, new recruit), called Alex a very good actor on Instagram and went on to tweet, “Alex, you are our fav.”

“I was really touched by his gesture,” says Alex. “Diljit is such a fine actor, an out and out charmer. A popular star like him praising me publicly, has made me feel very comfortable starting out in the Indian industry,” says Alex.

Apart from the stellar performances by its starcast, the period film has been praised for its authenticity in accurately depicting the anguish and turmoil of soldiers of a Sikh regiment fighting for the British Army during World War I. Fans of Diljit are expecting the film to be dubbed and released in Hindi soon.

Alex is now taking Hindi lessens and wants to exploit the void of the “bura gora” (the white-skinned baddie) in Bollywood next. “I’m told that after Bob Christo and Tom Alter, there is a void of actors playing the white baddie in Bollywood. Maybe, I can explore to fill it,” he wonders.

True! Who can forget that high-voltage Bob Christo scene in Mr India where Anil Kapoor coaxes him to praise Lord Hanuman by making him repeat “Jai Bajrang Bali.” Bollywood sure hasn’t seen any gora make that kind of a mark from a long time now. So this new guy is surely worth a try. Welcome Alex Reece. Welcome to Indian cinema.