The Iraqi tribal leader negotiating the release of three Indian drivers held hostage by militants said they could come closer to freedom if Bollywood superstars appealed on television.

"If Indian actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra go on TV and request not only me but the kidnappers and other Iraqis to solve the story, then the drivers could be released," Sheikh Hisham al-Dulaimi told the Indian magazine Outlook in its issue released yesterday.

Bachchan and Dharmendra have played in Hindi cinema's action sagas and bittersweet dramas for decades, often starring together, developing a massive fan base that has crossed geographic and linguistic boundaries.

Dharmendra is a member of the Indian parliament. Bachchan, who is not actively political, remains India's top film star at age 61.