"Honoured and grateful": Farhan Akhtar on playing maestro Ravi Shankar in Hollywood film

Taking to his Instagram handle, Farhan said, "Honoured and grateful to be part of the ever expanding legacy of the beatles and of Pandit Ravi Shankar ji. Their creative genius is a rite of passage for generation after generation of listeners and I could go on for days about how their music has influenced me and been a companion through the good times and the not so good."

"Thank you Sam Mendes.. been an ardent admirer of all your work and to be directed by you in this film, is the stuff dreams are made of..," added Farhan.

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The upcoming film series is structured as four interconnected biopics, each narrated from the perspective of a different member of the iconic British band, The Beatles. The project is slated for a global theatrical release in April 2028.

Akhtar will step into the role of Pandit Ravi Shankar, whose influence on The Beatles, particularly through his close friendship with guitarist George Harrison, played a pivotal role in introducing Indian classical music to Western popular culture.

Shankar's mentorship of Harrison led to the incorporation of the sitar and Indian musical elements into several Beatles tracks, creating a cross-cultural exchange that reshaped the band's evolving sound during the late 1960s.

The ensemble cast features Paul Mescal who will portray Paul McCartney, while Harris Dickinson takes on the role of John Lennon. Barry Keoghan has been cast as Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn will essay George Harrison.

While Akhtar previously made a brief appearance as Waleed, in the Marvel series 'Ms. Marvel' in 2022, this film represents his first major international screen role.

On the acting front, the actor has delivered outstanding performances in films such as 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', 'Toofan', 'Wazir', 'Karthik Calling Karthik', and 'The Sky is Pink', among others. He was last seen in '120 Bahadur'. (ANI)