Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar enjoys a huge fan base in India.

Shoaib, who was popularly known as 'Rawalpindi Express' after his hometown of Rawalpindi in Pakistan's Punjab region, was one of the lethal fast bowlers of his time. He was the first fast bowler in cricket to break the 100mph barrier.

The Pakistan speedster revealed that he was approached for the Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt's crime-drama movie Gangster, which released in 2005, with the offer to play the lead role, as reported by The Express Tribune. Emraan Hashmi went on to play the lead role along with Kangana Ranaut.

However, he ended up rejecting the offer as he was asked by the Pakistan Cricket Board focus on his cricketing career.