First Indian cricketer to bag major Bollywood role, it’s not Sunil Gavaskar, Ajay Jadeja, Vinod Kambli or Salil Ankola

In India, cricket and cinema have an old relationship. From actor-cricketer love affairs to Bollywood roles for star players, the game and art form have a steeped history. Several prominent cricketers including legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble and Yuvraj Singh have acted in films. Some have made cameo appearances while others like Ajay Jadeja and Sandeep Patil have gone on to play major roles. Salil Ankola gave up cricket entirely to become a Bollywood star. Sadagopan Ramesh did something similar down south. 

While the first famous Bollywood-cricket love affair could be attributed to Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the first cricketer to become a Bollywood hero was star all-rounder, late Salim Durani. The Afghan-born cricketer was known for big hits on the field and then he decided to attempt a hit in Bollywood. Durani became the first cricketer to play a major cinema role in 1973 film Charitra, alongside glamorous late actress Parveen Babi who was making her debut. 

Durani’s film debut came 4 years earlier in the 1969 movie Ek Masoom which starred actress Tanuja. With Charitra, Durani became a lead actor but the film failed to become a hit. The star cricketer’s Bollywood career was short-lived but it non the less paved the way for several others from the 22-yard pitch to try their luck on the silver screen. He was followed by the likes of Sunil Gavaskar who played the lead role in Marathi film ‘Savli Premachi’ and then appeared in a cameo in Naseeruddin Shah-starrer ‘Maaalamal’.

Sachin Tendulkar’s childhood mate Vinod Kambli appeared in 3 films opposite the likes of Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty. Ajay Jadeja starred in Sunny Deol-led Khel. Sandeep Patil Made a famous Bollywood debut in Kabhie Ajnabi The. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Harbhajan Singh gave famous cameos. Salil Ankola is perhaps the most successful in the cricket to actor transformation having featured in several films and TV shows.