Cricket and Bollywood Unite India
Times of Bennett | Updated: Oct 06, 2025 10:26
What unites a billion people in a country this diverse? Not politics, not festivals, not even food. The answer is simpler and louder. It’s cricket. And it’s Bollywood . Together, they’ve grown into something far bigger than entertainment. They’ve become India’s twin religions.
On the surface, it makes sense. Both are drama factories. A Virat Kohli century has the same goosebump factor as Shah Rukh Khan’s slow-motion entry. The suspense of a last over mirrors the tension of a movie climax. Stadiums and silver screens both thrive on applause, heartbreak, and hope. But the real story lies in how seamlessly the two worlds bleed into each other. Think about how many films have been made on cricket - Lagaan,MS Dhoni : The Untold Story , 83. These aren’t just sports films; they’re Bollywood’s way of mythologizing cricket, turning real-life matches into folklore. And it goes the other way too. Cricket itself often looks like cinema. The 2011 World Cup win? Pure script material.
Then there’s the business of it. Bollywood isn’t just watching cricket; it’s buying into it.Shahrukh Khan with the Kolkata Knight Riders . Preity Zinta with Punjab Kings. Juhi Chawla with KKR too. IPL auctions feel less like sports drafts and more like blockbuster releases. Red carpets and green fields have become indistinguishable.
And what about the gossip pages? Cricket-Bollywood love stories are practically a genre of their own. From Virat and Anushka to Hardik and Natasa, from Sharmila andMansoor Ali Khan Pataudi back in the day - the crossover romances have kept tabloids alive. It’s as if the two industries are fated to collide, over and over again. Even advertising blurs the line. Cricketers act, sometimes awkwardly, sometimes effortlessly in commercials. Film stars become the faces of cricketing brands. Both rely on the same economy of fame, the same worship from fans who will spend hours waiting just for a glimpse.
And maybe that’s the real reason they’re so intertwined. Cricket gives Indians pride - every six, every wicket feels like a win for the nation. Bollywood gives Indians fantasy, stories that let us dream beyond the everyday. Together, they’re irresistible because they’re not just about watching. They’re about feeling part of something massive, something collective.
So here’s the question: are cricket and Bollywood really separate worlds, or just two sides of the same coin? Stadiums or silver screens, we cheer, we cry, we celebrate. In the end, maybe what we really worship is the drama itself.
(This article is written by Mridvika Prashar, a 3rd year BA Mass Communication student. She is passionate about social issues, and she likes exploring and writing about their influence on society.)
On the surface, it makes sense. Both are drama factories. A Virat Kohli century has the same goosebump factor as Shah Rukh Khan’s slow-motion entry. The suspense of a last over mirrors the tension of a movie climax. Stadiums and silver screens both thrive on applause, heartbreak, and hope. But the real story lies in how seamlessly the two worlds bleed into each other. Think about how many films have been made on cricket - Lagaan,
Then there’s the business of it. Bollywood isn’t just watching cricket; it’s buying into it.
And what about the gossip pages? Cricket-Bollywood love stories are practically a genre of their own. From Virat and Anushka to Hardik and Natasa, from Sharmila and
And maybe that’s the real reason they’re so intertwined. Cricket gives Indians pride - every six, every wicket feels like a win for the nation. Bollywood gives Indians fantasy, stories that let us dream beyond the everyday. Together, they’re irresistible because they’re not just about watching. They’re about feeling part of something massive, something collective.
So here’s the question: are cricket and Bollywood really separate worlds, or just two sides of the same coin? Stadiums or silver screens, we cheer, we cry, we celebrate. In the end, maybe what we really worship is the drama itself.
(This article is written by Mridvika Prashar, a 3rd year BA Mass Communication student. She is passionate about social issues, and she likes exploring and writing about their influence on society.)
