Farhan Akhtar makes his Hollywood debut, to play Ravi Shankar in Sam Mendes' The Beatles movies

ACtor-director Farhan Akhtar is go under for his grand Hollywood debut before long. He testament be a component part of Sam Mendes’ challenging four-part biopic of the iconic band, The Beatles. Farhan will play Pandit Ravi Shankar, the eminent Indian classical musician who was a good friend of The Beatles and hosted them during their visit to India in the 70s.Farhan Akhtar in The Beatles filmsOn Thursday, Sony Pictures shared a 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 announcement shared that the film will also feature 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, the original drummer of The Beatles. This will be Farhan’s first foray into international films. He has previously appeared in an American TV show, when he had a cameo in Ms Marvel, the Disney+ show released in 2022. Details about when Farhan will begin filming have not been shared.All about The Beatles biopicsThe Beatles is a four-part cinematic event that chronicles the lives of the four men who constituted the most popular and impactful pop band in history. Each of the four films is shot from the perspective of one of the Fab Four. The films star 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. 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.When the project was first announced, Mendes said he felt "honored" to tell the story of one of the greatest bands in music history and wanted to bring something new to the big-screen experience.“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,” Mendes said in a statement.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, with filming currently underway.Directed by Sam Mendes, the films are produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Neal Street Productions, and Apple Corps.