Aamir Khan, Rajkumar Hirani to team up again for Phalke biopic
Set against backdrop of India's war for independence, the film will focus on Phalke's journey as a filmmaker; Rajamouli and NTR Jr are also making biopic on Phalke
In an exciting development in the world of cinema, Bollywood star Aamir Khan and director Rajkumar Hirani, will reunite together for the third time, for an ambitious biopic on Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema.
After 3 Idiots and PK, this duo is teaming up after a gap of 11 years. Set against the backdrop of India's war for independence, the biopic will focus on Phalke's journey as a filmmaker, who laid the foundation for Indian cinema.
His 1913 debut film, Raja Harischandra, is considered to be the country's first full-length mythological feature film.
South film too
Interestingly, the south Indian film industry is also set to pay homage to Phalke with a film titled Made in India, a biopic purportedly featuring NTR Jr in the lead role. The film will be directed by none other than Indian cinema’s highly successful commercial director SS Rajamouli and produced by Varun Gupta and SS Karthikeya.
NTR Jr, who was reportedly "blown away" by the lesser-known stories about Dadasaheb Phalke, did not waste time signing on the dotted line to play the legendary filmmaker. While Rajamouli said on X, "When I first heard the narration, it moved me emotionally like nothing else".
Also read: Poster of Aamir Khan as Guru Nanak fake, AI generated: Actor's spokesperson
The script for Made in India which was originally announced by Rajamouli in September 2023, is complete.
The Clash
Now, the entertainment industry is buzzing with the news of a clash between the two films based on the life and times of Phalke.
AI-powered visuals
Meanwhile, Aamir Khan and Rajkumar Hirani’s film will commence filming in October this year.
Khan is currently busy with the release of Sitaare Zameen Par, which will hit theatres on June 20. He will next focus on this Phalke biopic, said reports. The two will pull out all the stops to make a slick film, with advanced AI-powered visuals to convey India’s independence era.
Also read: Ananth Mahadevan interview: ‘I want my films to speak the language of global cinema’
Moreover, Khan and Hirani will get more “authentic” material from Chandrashekhar Srikrishna Pusalkar, the grandson of cinema pioneer Dadasaheb Phalke. Pusalkar has shared rare and invaluable anecdotes from the legend’s life to enrich the screenplay, said reports.
Junior NTR in Bollywood
Junior NTR, meanwhile, is working on his Bollywood film, War 2 with Hrithik Roshan. A song featuring the two actors is supposed to be a major highlight of the film, which will release on August 14.
Who was Dadasaheb Phalke?
Phalke was born on April 30, 1870. This filmmaker produced, directed and wrote the screenplay for India’s first full-length movie, Raja Harischandra. In his 19-year career, he produced 27 short films and 94 feature-length movies and left behind an indelible mark in Indian cinema with his groundbreaking work.
He passed away on February 16, 1944.