Mumbai: Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar is all set to make a grand Hollywood debut with Sam Mendes’ ambitious four-part biopic of the popular band ‘The Beatles’.
Farhan is reportedly going to play Pandit Ravi Shankar, the eminent Indian musician, who was a friend to The Beatles and had hosted them during their visit to India in the 70s.
The new cast for ‘The Beatles’, announced by Sony Pictures on Thursday, includes Farhan, along with Lucy Boynton as Jane Asher, Paul McCartney’s fiancee, Morfydd Clark as Cynthia Powell, John Lennon’s first wife, and Harry Lawtey as Stuart Sutcliffe.
Farhan previously appeared in an American TV show for a cameo in ‘Ms Marvel’, the Disney+ show which released in 2022.
‘The Beatles’, a four-part cinematic event, chronicles the lives of four men who formed the most popular pop band in history.
The film stars Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
The films also feature a strong supporting cast, which includes Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, James Norton as Brian Epstein and Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono.
Other actors include Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey, and Harry Lloyd as producer George Martin.
When the project was first announced, Mendes said, “I’m honored to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies.”
Written by Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan, and Jack Thorne, the film’s shooting is expected to be wrapped by the end of this year.
Directed by Mendes and produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Neal Street Productions, and Apple Corps, ‘The Beatles’ is set to be released in 2028.
