Farhan Akhtar to play Pt Ravi Shankar in ‘The Beatles’ biopic
To be directed by Sam Mendes, the four-part biopic will release in April 2028
Bollywood actor-director Farhan Akhtar is all set to play the role of sitar icon Pt Ravi Shankar in filmmaker Sam Mendes’ ambitious four-part biopic on ‘The Beatles’, slated to release in theatres in April 2028. On Thursday, ‘Sony Pictures’ shared a new casting announcement for ‘The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event’ on social media. It included Farhan, who will be seen as Pt Ravi Shankar. The sitar legend was a good friend of The Beatles and even hosted them during their visit to India in the 1970s. The film will also feature Lucy Boynton as Jane Asher, Paul McCartney’s fiancée, Morfydd Clark as Cynthia Powell, John Lennon’s first wife and Harry Lawtey as Stuart Sutcliffe, the original drummer of ‘The Beatles’. This will be Farhan’s major Hollywood venture after he made a cameo appearance in the 2022 show ‘Ms. Marvel’.
‘The Beatles’ were formed in 1960 by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The legendary band, which gifted the world timeless hits like ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and ‘Yesterday’, eventually disbanded in 1970, bringing an end to a defining chapter in music history. In the upcoming biopic, Paul Mescal will portray Paul McCartney, Harrison Dickinson will step into the role of John Lennon, Barry Keoghan will play Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn will essay George Harrison.
The music of Indian maestro Ravi Shankar had a profound influence on ‘The Beatles’, particularly George Harrison, who learned to play the sitar under his guidance. The band famously incorporated Indian instruments into several songs, including ‘Norwegian Wood’ and ‘Within You Without You’. Shankar and Harrison remained close friends until the end of Harrison’s life and also collaborated at the historic concert for Bangladesh on August 1, 1971.
Mendes is known for acclaimed films such as ‘American Beauty’, ‘Revolutionary Road’ and the James Bond blockbusters ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Spectre’. He has undertaken the ambitious project of directing a four-part film series on the iconic British band. Each instalment will be told from the perspective of one of the four members. Meanwhile, Farhan was last seen in the war drama ‘120 Bahadur’, which tanked at the box office.
