Indian actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar made a starry appearance at the BAFTA Film Awards, where his home production ‘Boong’ was up for an award. The actor’s appearance on the red carpet, came weeks after the announcement of his casting in Sam Mendes’ ambitious ‘The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event’.
Farhan Akhtar on his casting in ‘The Beatles’
Speaking on the red carpet in London, Akhtar admitted that playing the role of legendary sitar maestro Ravi Shankar was both thrilling and intimidating. In a statement to AP, he said, “Oh, I’m really excited. It’s exciting. It’s daunting, of course. And, I mean, just to be a part of a film that’s about this incredible group of people, the Beatles, and to be directed by Sam Mendes.”The makers recently confirmed new casting for the multi-film project, announcing that Akhtar will portray Ravi Shankar, with Lucy Boynton joining in as Jane Asher, Morfydd Clark as Cynthia Lennon, and Harry Lawtey as Stuart Sutcliffe.Reflecting on The Beatles’ musical association with India, Akhtar shared a personal anecdote by his father, Javed Akhtar. He said, “My father told me the story, because he was in his 20s, when The Beatles really became the worldwide phenomenon that they were. And he lived in a little village just outside this place called Lucknow in the north of India. He said, even there, where people didn’t speak English at all. If you asked them, ‘Do you know anybody from the West?’ they would all say, The Beatles. Everybody knew them.”He added, “So, there is a relationship, that our country has with them through their music, of course. And it feels like they’re making a film about somebody who belongs to the culture as well.”Shankar famously influenced the band’s music, particularly the works of George Harrison, by helping him introduce Indian classical elements to Western pop music.The films, with a principal cast featuring Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, are slated for a theatrical release in April 2028.
Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Boong’ wins a BAFTA
Akhtar was also celebrating a major win for Indian cinema at the BAFTAs. The Manipuri-language film ‘Boong’, which he co-produced, won Best Children’s & Family Film, becoming the first Indian film to take home the award in that category.Speaking to Deadline, he shared, “Lakshmipriya Devi and I have known each other for about 20 years. This film is set in a region of India from which we rarely get to watch films. It was nice to support that as well, and it’s a very heartwarming story. So, it just felt right.”Directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, the coming-of-age drama was the only Indian nominee at the ceremony and triumphed over international titles including ‘Zootropolis 2’, ‘Lilo & Stitch’ and ‘Arco’.
