Farhan Akhtar to play Pandit Ravi Shankar in Sam Mendes’ four-film Beatles biopic

WASHINGTON: Farhan Akhtar is set to portray Bharat Ratna awardee and legendary Indian musician Pandit Ravi Shankar in director Sam Mendes’ ambitious project, ‘The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event.’

The four-part biographical series on the iconic British band has officially begun production in the UK and is slated for a global theatrical release in April 2028 under Sony Pictures, Variety has confirmed.

Akhtar joins an expanding international ensemble that includes Lucy Boynton as Jane Asher, Morfydd Clark as Cynthia Lennon and Harry Lawtey as Stuart Sutcliffe. The films will chronicle the lives of the Fab Four, with each instalment focusing on a different member of The Beatles.

New casting announced for The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, directed by Sam Mendes.

Farhan Akhtar will star as Ravi Shankar
Lucy Boynton will star as Jane Asher
Morfydd Clark will star as Cynthia (Powell) Lennon
Harry Lawtey will star as Stuart Sutcliffe

In cinemas… pic.twitter.com/Ls0IH5NOGs

— The Beatles (@thebeatles) February 12, 2026

Akhtar, known for his performances in ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ and ‘The Sky Is Pink,’ as well as appearances in Marvel’s ‘Ms Marvel’ and most recently ‘120 Bahadur’, takes on the role of Shankar, the globally celebrated sitar virtuoso who shared a deep musical association with George Harrison.

The principal cast features Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.

Additional casting includes Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, James Norton as Brian Epstein, Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono, Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, Harry Lloyd as George Martin and Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey, as per Variety.

Behind the camera, Mendes directs all four films and produces alongside his Neal Street Productions partner, Pippa Harris and Julie Pastor, with Alexandra Derbyshire also producing. The technical team includes cinematographer Greig Fraser and editor Lee Smith, among others. Production is under way. (ANI)