Game of Thrones season 6: Bollywood star Neil Nitin Mukesh lands role

Game of Thrones has a huge Bollywood following

Neil Nitin Mukesh impressed the Game of Thrones stunt director with his sword fighting skills (Rex Features)

Game of Thrones has reportedly cast its first Indian actor, Neil Nitin Mukesh, in the role of a royal.

UPDATE: HBO confirms Neil Nitin Mukesh not offered role

Mukesh, 33, has appeared in many Hindi-language films and impressed stunt director Greg Powell with his performance in family drama Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’s action scenes.

Powell, known for his work on the Harry Potter franchise, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Fast and Furious 6, offered Mukesh the part, according to the Mumbai Mirror.

“Greg has directed two sword fighting sequences in PRDP for which I had to train for over a month in order to get the stance and wrist movements right,” Mukesh told the local paper.

“He seemed pretty impressed with all the hard work I put in and made the offer when we were shooting for the climax scene a few months ago.”

Mukesh, himself a big Thrones fan, added that a producer is expected to approach him for further discussions later this month.

He is also willing to take part in nude scenes, which the show is known for, so long as it is required for his character. “I have gone nude for Jail so why not for this?” he said. “I am not intimidated by it as an actor.”

Thrones is hugely popular in India, with fans often coming up with imaginative Bollywood versions of the show and creating their own mash-ups.

Mukesh’s full name has been the subject of Twitter jokes for the past year, and these have started again in force after the Thrones announcement. Some fans are suggesting that Iron Throne contender Daenerys should have named her three dragons Neil, Nitin and Mukesh. It’s all very silly.

Game of Thrones is expected to return next spring, although it may arrive later than hoped.