Shoaib Akhtar claims he was offered lead role in Bollywood movie 'Gangster: A Love Story'

Shoaib Akhtar, who is often in the news for his comments after retirement, has claimed that he was approached for the lead role in the 2006 Bollywood film, 'Gangster: A Love Story'. It was produced by Mahesh Bhatt and directed by Anurag Basu.

Speaking to Express Tribune, the former Pakistan player recently said:

“I was offered lead role in Bollywood movie ‘Gangster’.”

For the uninitiated, the film was a huge success at the box office, featuring actors Emraan Hashmi, Shiney Ahuja and Kangana Ranaut in lead roles.

On the work front, Akhtar, who holds the record for the fastest delivery in international cricket (161.3 kmph), called time on his career in 2011. The speedster represented Pakistan in 163 ODIs, 15 T20Is and 46 Tests, with 444 wickets across formats.

Last year, Akhtar revealed that a biopic was being filmed on him with the title ‘Rawalpindi Express: Racing against the Odds’. He, however, recently dissociated himself from the project due to disagreements and contractual infractions.

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Babar is not a brand because he can’t speak English: Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar, meanwhile, has questioned Babar Azam's communication skills. He feels that the Pakistan captain is not a brand because he can’t speak English.

In a recent interview with a local Pakistani channel, Shoaib said:

“You can see there's no character in the team, nor they know how to talk. How difficult is it to learn and speak English? Cricket is one job, and handling media is another. If you can’t speak, I am sorry, but you won’t be able to express yourself on TV.”

Shoaib Akhtar added:

"I want to openly say that Babar Azam should be the biggest brand in Pakistan, but why hasn't he become the biggest brand in Pakistan? Because he can’t speak.”

Back in 2020, Babar was questioned about his communication skills in the English language.

Speaking at a press conference, he said:

"I’m a cricketer; my job is to play cricket. I am not a 'gora' who knows English thoroughly. Yes, I am working on it, but you learn these things over a period of time; you can’t just suddenly learn it.”

Azam is currently leading Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).