Feb 13, 2026 11:58am IST
Farhan Akhtar To Portray Pandit Ravi Shankar In His Hollywood Debut Amid Don 3 Casting Row
Farhan Akhtar, one of the most versatile actors in our entertainment industry, who has made a mark as an actor, filmmaker and singer, is now set to make his Hollywood debut in Sam Mendes’ ambitious four-part biopic of the iconic band, “The Beatles.”
Akhtar will portray the character of Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar, the prolific Indian classical musician, who was a good friend to “The Beatles” and hosted the Fab Four in the 70s during their visit to the country.
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Sony Pictures announced the cast of the biographical musical drama on its social media accounts on Thursday. In the announcement, it was shared that Farhan Akhtar is playing Pandit Ravi Shankar, Lucy Boynton will play Jane Asher, Paul McCartney’s fiancée, Morfydd Clark as Cynthia Powell, John Lennon’s first wife, and Harry Lawtey as Stuart Sutcliffe.
Akhtar was previously seen in a cameo role in an American TV show, "Ms. Marvel," which was released in 2022 on Disney+.
Directed by the Academy Award winner Sam Mendes, who is known for helming films like “American Beauty,” “Revolutionary Road” and “Skyfall,” among others, the four-part cinematic event of “The Beatles” chronicles the journey of the four musicians, who created one of the most iconic bands in the history of music. Each of the four films will show the perspective of each band member.
It also features the ensemble cast of Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, James Norton as Brian Epstein, Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono, Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey and Harry Lloyd as producer George Martin.
During the announcement of the project, Mendes had said that he is ‘honored’ to narrate one of the greatest bands. “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,” the filmmaker had said.
Written by Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan and Jack Thorne, the film is expected to wrap its shooting by the end of 2026, followed by a long post-production process. It is bankrolled by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Neal Street Productions and Apple Corps.
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