Cricket and Bollywood have had an inseparable connection in India. Bollywood celebrities and cricketers are liked and worshipped by the fans and spectators in the country and considered as role models by the young generations. From blockbusters like Lagaan to the heart-wrenching film Kai Po Che!, the connection between the two remains strong.
The modern-generation has also witnessed a lot of autobiographies dominating the theatres. From MS Dhoni: The Untold Story to Sachin: A Billion Dream with the still in making 1983 based on India’s World Cup-winning run under the leadership of Kapil Dev, the fans have entertained all of them.
In fact, over the years, several Indian cricketers have starred in Bollywood movies right from the time of Sandeep Patil to the younger lot like Sreesanth, in the hopes of fulfilling their acting aspirations.
Here are some of the famous Indian cricketers who starred in Bollywood movies whether be it in full, cameo or guest appearances:
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1. Sandeep Patil
The former India wicket-keeper batsman Sandeep Patil played the main lead in the 1985 romantic caper Kabhie Ajnabi The and was paired opposite Poonam Dhillon. Vijay Singh directed the movie where Syed Kirmani also played a role, who played the villain.
Patil did almost everything to entertain the fans – fight with the villain, dance with the heroine. However, the experiment with the former chairman of selector proved to be a bad idea as the movie was unsuccessful in the box office.
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2. Ajay Jadeja
Ajay Jadeja was one of the most handsome and talented cricketers of his time, but the match-fixing scandals invited his downfall. After the whole scandal, Ajay Jadeja tried his luck at Bollywood movies and landed in a lead role in the movie ‘Khel’ which released in 2003 opposite Celina Jaitley along with Sunil Shetty and Sunny Deol.
The movie was a complete flop and Ajay Jadeja put a rest to his acting ambitions and stuck to the cricketing world. However, he appeared on the dancing show Jhalak Dikhla jaa and reached the top 5 before getting eliminated.
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3. Sreesanth
Two-time World Cup winner S Sreesanth bursts on to the scene as an aggressive, talented fast bowler. He made quick inroads to be the mainstay of India’s bowling. However, a match-fixing allegation in 2013 in the Indian Premier League saw BCCI impose a life ban on him.
During this period, Sreesanth acted in four films – two Hindi, one Malayalam, and one Kannada. He also participated in three reality shows including the infamous Big Boss hosted by Salman Khan and sang songs.
Meanwhile, with the ban overturned by BCCI, the fast bowler from Kerala will be free to play domestic cricket in September later this year. Sreesanth expressed he aims to win the ICC World Cup for India in 2023.
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4. Vinod Kambli
Vinod Kambli grabbed the headlines alongside Sachin Tendulkar for their record partnership in school cricket in Mumbai. Many considered Kambli to be more talented than Sachin. The stylish southpaw announced his arrival as he scored 2 double hundreds in test matches back to back in 1993.
However, indisciplined lifestyle, inconsistency with the bat, and lack of fitness shortened his cricketing career. He played his last international match in 2000. Following that, Kambli tried his hand at in movies acting in B-Grade flick Aanarth, starring Sunil Shetty in 2002.
A colourful performance apart, the movie flopped badly. Nowadays he features as a cricket expert sparingly on news shows. He was also a part of the Mumbai T20 League last year.
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5. Yograj Singh
Yuvraj Singh’s father Yograj Yograj featured in one Test and six One-day internationals for India retired after a career-ending injury. The dynamic character, who is in talks every now and then too gained popularity through acting in Bollywood movies.
He played the coach of Milkha Singh in the super-hit movie released in 2013 -‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’. Apart from that, Yograj has also acted in many Punjab movies playing main and supportive roles along with more than 10 Bollywood films.