The viral claim that former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar playfully threatened to kidnap Indian actor Sonali Bendre if she didn’t marry him has resurfaced. During a podcast promoting her latest show, Bendre was reminded of Akhtar’s alleged “crush” on her. She responded, “I don’t know how true this is. Fake news existed even then!”
In 2019, Akhtar had allegedly remarked, “If she [Bendre] doesn’t marry me, I’ll kidnap her!” However, the cricketer personally clarified on his YouTube channel that the statement was entirely false. According to The Indian Express, Bendre herself seemed surprised by Akhtar’s supposed affections and turned the rumor into a joke. “Thank God for that,” she quipped on the podcast. “Maybe that has made my career!”
Further, in 2019, Akhtar addressed claims on his YouTube channel, denying that he carried a picture of Bendre in his wallet, wanted to marry her, or had an affair with her. Akhtar maintained he had never met the actor, nor was he a fan, although he conceded that she was a “beautiful” woman.
