Puri had a cameo in the highly acclaimed film "Gandhi" (1982, directed by Richard Attenborough). In the mid-1990s, he diversified to play character roles in mainstream Hindi cinema, where his roles are more tuned to mass audiences than film critics. He became known internationally by starring in many British films such as "My Son the Fanatic" (1997), "East Is East" (1999) and "The Parole Officer" (2001). He appeared in Hollywood films including "City of Joy" (1992), opposite Patrick Swayze; "Wolf" (1994) with Jack Nicholson; and "The Ghost and the Darkness" (1996) opposite Val Kilmer. In 2007, he appeared as General Zia-ul-Haq in "Charlie Wilson's War", which stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.