Salim Durrani, who passed away on Friday, was a formidable cricketer and also a Bollywood star in his own right.
Former Indian cricketer Salim Durrani passed away on Sunday morning at age of 88. The all-rounder played a pivotal role in several memorable victories for the Indian cricket team in the 1960s and 70s. However, there was another side to the debonair cricketer as well. He was the first Indian cricketer to turn movie star, something that he did while still actively playing, and paved the way for others in future.
Born in Afghanistan in 1934, Salim Durrani began playing cricket professionally while still in his teens. In 1953, he made his first-class debut for Saurashtra and in 1960, he made his international debut for India against Australia. A swashbuckling left-handed batter and left-arm spinner, Durrani went on to play 29 Tests for India between 1960 and 1973. However, the presence of the spin quartet – Bedi, Chandrasekhar, Prasanna, and Venkataraghavan – meant his opportunities for India were limited. As a result, he also dabbled in endorsements and public appearances.
Blessed with good looks and a debonair personality, Durrani was a favourite of the masses and one of the first Indian cricketers to endorse products. Soon, this extended to movie offers. Reportssay that Durrani rejected a few movie offers as he was focussing on cricket but as more offers poured in and his international appearances dried up, he accepted one.
In 1969, he made his film debut with Ek Masoom opposite Tanuja. The Khalid Akhtar film also starred Jagdeep, Abhi Bhattacharya, Prem Chopra, and Helen. Despite Tanuja and Durrani’s popularity, the film failed to do wonders at the box office. Durrani returned to cricket for some time. In 1973, when his international cricket career was ending, he returned to the silver screen for his second and final performance.
Director BR Ishaara had noticed Parveen Babi at a party in Gujarat a year prior and wanted to launch her. But given that Parveen was a new heroine, no established hero wanted to work with her. Enter Salim Durrani! Ishara was able to convince the cricketer to take up the lead role in his film Charitra but the film failed at the box office. And that was it for Durrani’s short-lived film career.
Durrani continued plying Ranji Trophy for four more seasons when he retired at the age of 43. After his playing career, Durrani retreated from the game. He was awarded the C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award by the BCCI in 2011.
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 "Parveen Babi made her debut opposite Salim Durrani in Charitra")
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