BOLLYWOOD OBSESSION ..........

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Top five Bollywood cricketers

It is often said that India is obsessed with two things - cricket and Bollywood.


It will therefore not come as surprise that the two have overlapped from time to time with many of the world's cricketing starts making appearances on the boards.



1. Shoaib Akhtar


The controversial Pakistan fast-bowler was offered the lead role in a Bollywood film in 2007.


At the time Akhtar was struggling with injury and rebuilding his career following a failed drug test so he might be tempted by the offer.

Shoaib was said to be surprised - if slightly amused - by the offer, but is willing to look at the script for Gangster.

Mahesh Bhatt, the producer of the film, believes Akhtar to be ideal to play the role of a gangster, because he combines animal magnetism, raw emotion and, strangely, the 'vulnerability of a child'.

2. Brian Lara

West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara looks set to swap Test scene with the big screen.

Lara has been approached by producer

Viveck Vaswani to star in a film set in Trinidad - filming started during the Cricket World Cup.

'Dulha Mil Gaya', or 'Found My Husband' is a romantic comedy and will feature Bolllywood star Shah Ruhk Kahn and has a budget of $2 million.

3. Brett Lee

When Brett Lee decides to call it a day out in the middle, he seems set for a career in showbiz.

Lee is already well known in cricketing circles for his involvement with the band 'Six & Out' - for whom he plays the guitar - and recently starred in a Bollywood music video.

Bollywood legend Asha Bhosle invited Lee to play the role of a foreigner who woos an Indian girl - the fast-bowler is seen miming along to the song.

He has already been offered a role in movie by respected actor Amitabh Bachchan, although Lee turned it down saying: "Mate I have had no acting experience in my life."

Fair dinkum.

4. Navjot Singh Sidhu

The former Indian batman plays the part of a cricket commentator in the film Mujhse Shaadi Kagori - 'Will You Marry Me'.

And seeing that Navjot Singh Sidhu has actually been a professional commentator after retiring from cricket, the role should have not proved to tasking.

The plot of the film sees two men fighting over one girl, culminating in one proposing on a cricket pitch - the scene also features cricket stars like Irfan Pathan, Mohammed Kaif, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath, and Ashish Nehra.


5. Kapil Dev

India World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev starred in a Bollywood film called Aryan in 2006.

The story follows the life of an Indian boxer who has to chose between his career and his wife.

Dev ended up playing himself as the leading character interviews him as a sports journalist, ultimately being inspired to get back in the ring through his wise words.

Kapil gave the film his backing: "We need Bollywood to make films on sportsmen so that youngsters in our country are encouraged to play sports.