International debut: Farhan Akhtar joins Sam Mendes’ The Beatles biopic as the legendary Ravi Shankar
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "International debut: Farhan Akhtar joins Sam Mendes’ The Beatles biopic as the legendary Ravi Shankar")
Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar is set to play late Pandit Ravi Shankar in Sam Mendes' upcoming Beatles biopic. The cast announcement was made by Sony Pictures on Thursday. The film will be Farhan's first international movie.
Amid controversies around his next directorial venture, Don 3, Farhan Akhtar is making his acting debut in Hollywood. The actor-director is all set to play iconic sitar player, the late Pandit Ravi Shankar, in The Beatles biopic. The announcement was made by Sony Pictures on X on Thursday. Shankar was known to be good friends with The Beatles, particularly George Harrison and even hosted them during their visit to India in the 1970s.
Farhan Akhtar as Ravi Shankar in The Beatles film
On Thursday, Sony Pictures made new casting announcement for The Beatles - A Four-Film Cinematic Event. It included Farhan, who was announced to be playing Ravi Shankar. In addition, 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 isn’t Farhan’s first International acting assignment. Fans would recall he had featured in a cameo role in Ms Marvel, the American TV show on Disney+ in 2022. The show was part of MCU.
His inclusion in The Beatles will be his first international film role. Details about when Farhan will begin filming have not been shared.
About The Beatles biopics
Sam Mendes is helming the film, which will be made in four parts, to do justice to all the members of the iconic band The Beatles.
The films star Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
Earlier, the first look at the four actors as the iconic musicians was released online. The first looks and some BTS footage have piqued the curiosity of the fans.
The films also have an impressive supporting cast. Saoirse Ronan will play Linda McCartney, James Norton will appear as Brian Epstein, and Anna Sawai will portray Yoko Ono. Other cast members include Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey, and Harry Lloyd as producer George Martin.
The films are written by Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan, and Jack Thorne. Shooting is expected to be wrapped by the end of this year, followed by a long post-production schedule. The films are set to release worldwide in April 2028.
