He has essayed a role in a Bollywood film – Patiala House – which features noted actor Akshay Kumar and actress Anushka Sharma – and is more or less likened to Gurinder Chadha’s Bend it Like Beckham.

Symonds is in demand in India, where the Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians bought his services for 850,000 dollars.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Patiala House, released on Friday, features appearances by Symonds and fellow former stars ex-Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram, ex-England captains Nasser Hussain and Graham Gooch, and South Africa batsman Herschelle Gibbs

The film tracks tensions between a traditional Punjabi father and his son in the west London suburb of Southall.

"The film is about a cricketer''s life and therefore we have taken many cricketers as actors so that we can get a real look for the film," said Advani, said its director Nikhil Advani.