‘Was given a chance of the lead actor in a Bollywood movie’ – Former Pakistan bowler Shoaib Akhtar on his acting ambitions

Shoaib Akhtar is considered to be a household name in world cricket and was always known for the sheer pace with which he used to bowl. His pace had already created a sense of fear in the minds of the batters, and when he used to bowl the right line and length, the batters had a lot of trouble facing him in the middle.

Akhtar has a massive fan following in India and it grew during the inaugural edition of the Indian T20 League back in 2008. Akhtar was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s Punjab province, and was given the nickname “Rawalpindi Express” in honour of his homeland and the cricketing mecca. 

He nevertheless had acting aspirations, much like several other athletes. According to The Express Tribune, the former Pakistani fast bowler said that he had an opportunity to play the lead part in Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt’s crime-drama film “Gangster” (2005).

India and Pakistan are recognized as archrivals on the cricket field. Players are motivated to put up their best effort because of the excitement, feelings, and passion between the two teams. Akhtar performed a lot of game-changing feats throughout his cricket career, but some of his most amazing bowling performances came against India.

Taking a look at Shoaib Akhtar’s career figures and accomplishments

Recognized as the Rawalpindi Express, the veteran Pakistani bowler was one of the best and deadliest speedsters of his era. The legendary Pakistani speed bowler took part in 46 Tests, 14 T20s, and 163 ODIs for his country. He has taken 21 T20I wickets, 247 ODI wickets, and 178 red-ball wickets. He became the first cricketer to ever bowl at a speed of 100 mph.

The title of Akhtar’s biopic, “Rawalpindi Express: Racing Against the Odds,” was made public last year. Akhtar announced his separation from the project last month in a message on Twitter, alleging “disagreements and contractual violations,” though it is unknown if production has already started or not.