Mumbai: Actor-producer Neil Nitin Mukesh has confirmed that he is working on a biopic on his grandfather, legendary musician Mukesh Chand Mathur.
In an interview with News18, Neil revealed that he has been working on the project for the last two years, and is looking over everything from scripting to research.
“My team and I’ve been writing for quite some time. Not many know that I’m a professional writer and have a production house too,” Neil said.
The actor-producer further shared that he would sometimes sit with his father, Nitin Mukesh, to hear untold stories about his grandfather.
The biopic will focus on Mukesh’s inspiring journey from “being the son of a railway clerk to becoming one of Bollywood’s most loved singers”.
“It’s a story I’ve been eager to tell ever since I was a child,” said Neil, who was just five years old when his grandfather passed away in 1976.
“There’s a full exercise in place – every time I sit down with my father, I listen to anecdotes about my grandfather from him, go through the archives of whatever we’ve of him like his memorabilia and photographs,” he added.
“We have got a great bank of content and material ready. His life has been so beautiful. There’s a lovely arc in his story. His journey is so inspiring that people need to see it,” the actor explained.
Neil, who wishes to play his grandfather in the biopic, said, “I don’t think there can be a better Mukesh than me. Neil Nitin Mukesh is Mukesh. I know him better than anyone else. Dad also wants me to play my grandfather for emotional reasons.”
“The business of cinema is very different. As actors, we look for opportunities, but we’re given them basis of what others perceive of us. Your draw to the box office is important,” he added.
On the work front, Neil is currently featuring in ‘Hai Junoon! Dream. Dare. Dominate’.
Directed by Abhishek Sharma and produced by Jio Creative Lab, the musical drama series, which also features Jacqueline Fernandez, is being premiered on JioHotstar from May 16, 2025.
