Former ICC Umpire Anil Chaudhary Turns Actor After Leaving Umpiring

Staff Reporter, PNN

After many years of umpiring in international cricket, former Indian umpire Anil Chaudhary has stepped into a completely different field. Just six months after retiring from umpiring, he has made his acting debut.

Chaudhary retired from umpiring on September 27, 2025, after officiating in an ODI match between India and Australia. Instead of taking a long break, he decided to pursue a different path.

He has appeared in a Haryanvi music video titled “Goli To Chalegi.” In the video, he plays the role of a gangster, appearing in a black jacket and sunglasses while riding a horse. His new look has surprised many people on social media.

The video was directed by Suman Guha, who previously worked as a fashion designer before moving into film direction. It was produced by Naresh Jha of Epic Films.

Speaking about his first experience in front of the camera, the 60-year-old Chaudhary said that the pressure here is somewhat less compared to umpiring international matches or the IPL. If mistakes happen in front of the camera, they can be corrected, even during editing. However, in umpiring, once a decision is made, there is no opportunity to change it.

He added that while acting requires emotional expression, an umpire must control emotions. However, he did not feel afraid in front of the camera because his experience of providing commentary in the Haryanvi language had given him confidence.

He also expressed gratitude to director Suman Guha and producer Naresh Jha for giving him the opportunity.

Between 2013 and 2025, Anil Chaudhary made significant contributions to international cricket. During this time he officiated in 12 Test matches, 49 ODIs, and 64 T20 Internationals.

He also officiated in 131 IPL matches, which equals the record of Indian umpire Sundaram Ravi.

In domestic cricket, he has officiated in 91 first-class matches, 114 List-A matches, and 278 T20 matches. In 2022, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) included him in its A+ category of umpires, which consisted of only 10 umpires.