Cricketers in India gain a great deal of fame, largely due to the exceptional cricketing skills they display on the cricket field. Cricket is the most popular sport in India, and cricketers are loved and followed by the masses. People want to know what their favorite cricketers eat, what they wear, what products they use for personal care, how they keep themselves fit, and more. Big brands know this, and that’s why they bring in cricketers to market their products through advertisements.
The advertisements are shown on the internet and over the internet, which influence the masses and ultimately increase sales. If you are a cricket lover, you have seen your favorite Indian cricketers in television commercials. Not only television commercials, as some cricketers have done cameos in Bollywood movies as well, and we will discuss some of the popular names who have appeared in movies, commercials, and other digital media.
Cricketers Who Have Made it to Bollywood Movies
Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev is considered to be the best Indian men’s cricket team captain, as it was he under whose captaincy the Indian men’s cricket team lifted the ODI World Cup trophy for the first time. When we talk about Kapil Dev’s cricketing talent, he was the best all-rounder of his time. You can’t say whether his batting is much better than his bowling because he balanced them both.
The Indian men’s cricket team that lifted the ODI World Cup trophy in 1983 was young, and no one would have thought they would win it. However, it was Kapil Dev who turned the fortunes in the Indian team’s favor. He not only helped the team through his captaincy but also through his batting and bowling throughout the tournament.
Kapil Dev’s epic win helped him grab cameos in several Bollywood movies and television commercials. When we talk about some of those movies, the same include Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii, 83, and others. Not only in Bollywood movies, he also appeared in advertisements for betting sites for cricket, such as Dream11, and other television commercials.
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh is a renowned name in the cricketing world, and some of his bowling memories are still fresh in cricket fans’ minds, such as his famous hat-trick in the Kolkata test match of the 2001 Border-Gavaskar trophy that helped the Indian team win that match. Harbhajan Singh was awarded the Man of the Series award for his performance during that series. He earned a lot of fame through cricket, and even though he had retired, people still remember him.
Harbhajan was part of both the T20 and ODI World Cup-winning Indian teams that lifted the trophy in 2007 and 2011, respectively. Just like Kapil Dev, Harbhajan’s popularity helped him grab cameos in Bollywood flicks like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and Punjabi movie Bhaji in Problem, and others.
Not only movies, Harbhajan’s popularity helped him get into many television commercials, and even after retiring from cricket, he is now appearing in commentary panels during cricket matches.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, or MS Dhoni, is another renowned cricketer who is one of the two Indian captains under whose captaincy the Indian men’s cricket team lifted the ODI World Cup trophy. During his captaincy, he helped the Indian team win every single ICC trophy, such as the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, ICC ODI World Cup in 2011, and ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. Also, it was MS Dhoni under whose captaincy the Indian team became the number one Test team for the first time in 2009.
All these achievements make MS Dhoni one of the most popular captains. His popularity on the cricket field helped him grab many television commercials. Even a movie was made on MS Dhoni’s life titled MS Dhoni The Untold Story, which was a hit. He didn’t act in the movie, but his popularity just increased after that. Even though he retired from international cricket, he still plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Dhoni has not acted in movies until now, but there have been scenes of his stint in IPL matches shown in movies, like in Thalapathy Vijay’s film GOAT. However, there is no denying that you may see him in movies in the future.
Conclusion
Indian cricketers are quite popular in India, just like cricket, and their prowess on the cricket pitch helps them feature in television commercials, cameos in Bollywood movies, and other digital media. We have talked about some of the big cricketing names like Kapil Dev, Harbhajan Singh, and MS Dhoni, who have achieved so much in cricket and have grabbed roles in Bollywood flicks. We hope you found the information provided here helpful. Share your thoughts in the comments.
