Cricketers who turned into actors

In India, cricket and films are arguably the only two phenomena that can gather flocks of admirers across the country. And, of late, fans are increasingly witnessing the two worlds collide as more and more cricketers begin their second innings with the silver screen. It’s interesting to note that this switching of gears is not restricted to the young crop of Indian sportsmen.With Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh being the recent recruits, here is a brief gist of the best of two worlds.
Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan will be making his Tamil acting debut with Ajay Gnanamuthu’s upcoming film starring Vikram. The untitled film, which goes by #Vikram58, will feature the Indian all-rounder as a character with Turkish origin, Ajay told us in an earlier interview, adding that it was an important role. The film will be released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.
Harbhajan Singh
The ace spinner was recently roped in to play a significant role in Karthik Yogi’s Dikkilona, which stars Santhanam in the lead. Harbhajan’s association with Chennai Super Kings, along with his love for Tamil culture, was what made him the apt choice for the film, the director revealed in a recent interview with us. Bhajji will reportedly be joining the team for shooting by December.
Sreesanth
The Indian pacer will be seen making his Kollywood debut with director duo Hari-Hareesh’s upcoming horror comedy alongside Hansika. The film will feature the cricketer in a character with grey shades. The film, which will go on floors in December, is slated to be a Summer 2020 release. He had earlier seen in Aksar 2, Team 5 and he was also part of Cabaret.
Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev has made special appearances in films including Gaurav Pandey’s Stumped and David Dhawan’s Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. But his most prominent cameo was in Nagesh Kukunoor’s Iqbal, starring Shreyas Talpade. “The Indian team needs bowlers like you,” Kapil Dev tells an awe-struck Iqbal in the film’s climax.
Sadagoppan Ramesh
The Chennai-born all-rounder made his acting debut with Mohan Raja’s hit comedy Santosh Subramaniam, starring Jayam Ravi and Genelia Deshmukh in the lead. The cricketer appeared as Ravi’s older brother in the film. He also played the lead in Tamil rural cricket drama, Potta Potti.
Dwayne Bravo
West Indies player Dwayne Bravo might be known for his ace bowling skills. But the sportsman got to depict another side of him in Tamil film Chithiram Pesudhadi 2, in which he set the dance floor on fire.
Sachin Tendulkar
The Master Blaster of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar was prominently featured in his biographical documentary Sachin: A Billion Dreams, directed by James Erskine.
Ajay Jadeja
The former Indian batsman tried putting on his acting face for Yusuf Khan’s 2003 Hindi film Khel-No Ordinary Game, in an important supporting role alongside Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty and Celina Jaitly. Jadeja has also starred in the Bollywood film Pal Pal Dil Ke Ssaat, with Mahie Gill.
Anil Kumble
The ace bowler played himself in Meerabai Not Out, starring Mandira Bedi, Mahesh Manjrekar and Anupam Kher. The cricketer plays a hiccup-riddled version of himself in the film, in a special appearance.
Yuvraj Singh
The former Indian all-rounder made an endearing cameo in the 1992 Punjabi film Mehndi Shagna Di. A young Yuvraj is seen sporting a school uniform in the film.
Vinod Kambli
The former batsman tried his acting bat in Ravi Dewan’s Annarth, alongside Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty. The cricketer played Bandya, a criminal. He also featured in Pal Pal Dil Ke Ssaat.
Salil Ankola
After retiring from Indian cricket, Salil starred in a crop of Hindi films, including Churaliya Hai Tumne. The sportsman began his acting career with the role of a police inspector in the 2000 film Kurukshetra, starring Sanjay Dutt.
These international cricketers, too, worked in indian films
Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan made his Indian film debut with JP Dutta’s Batwara, in which he played an honest cop. He also featured in Mahesh Bhatt’s hit drama, Saathi. Brett Lee, too, flirted with the silverscreen in 2016, when he acted in Aussie-Bolly film, UnIndian. He played a charming Australian English teacher who falls for an Indian single mother in the comedy.