Mumbai: Pankaj Tripathi is set to play the role of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in a biopic titled 'Main Rahoon Ya Na Rahoon Yeh Desh Rehna Chahiye - Atal', the makers announced recently.
Written by Utkarsh Naithani and directed by three-time National Award-winner Ravi Jadhav, the film will revolve around the journey of Vajpayee, one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).
Tripathi said he feels honoured to play the role of an iconic, multi-faceted personality like Vajpayee.
"It is an honour to portray such a humane politician on screen. He was not just a politician but so much more. He was an excellent writer and a renowned poet. Getting to be in his shoes is nothing but a privilege for an actor like me," the 46-year-old actor said.
Jadhav, best known for helming the Marathi movies 'Natarang' and 'Balgandharva', said it is a golden opportunity for him to direct a film on the late leader with a talented actor like Tripathi.
"For me as a director, I couldn't have asked for a better story than that of Atal Ji. On top of this, having an exemplary actor like Pankaj Tripathi to bring to screen Atal Ji's story and the support of the producers. I hope that I can live up to people's expectations with 'Atal'," he added.
Vajpayee, who joined the Rashtriya Sewak Sangh (RSS) in 1947, rose through the ranks to become a stalwart of the BJP and was the first non-Congress prime minister to complete a full term in office.
'Atal' is produced by Vinod Bhanushali, Sandeep Singh, Sam Khan and Kamlesh Bhanushali in association with '70MM Talkies' and co-produced by Zeeshan Ahmad and Shivv Sharma.
Bhanushali said the team unanimously thought Tripathi was the apt choice for the role of Vajpayee.