Farhan Akhtar is stepping into a role loaded with cultural weight: Pandit Ravi Shankar in Sam Mendes’ ambitious big-screen Beatles project, designed as four separate films—one from each Beatle’s perspective—landing in April 2028.
“Stuff dreams are made of”: Farhan’s Big Moment
Speaking around BAFTA week, Farhan described the opportunity as exciting and daunting, and also called it the kind of chance “stuff dreams are made of”—a rare crossover where an Indian cultural icon becomes central to one of the world’s most mythologised music stories.
Why Ravi Shankar Matters in the Beatles Universe
Ravi Shankar wasn’t just a global sitar legend—he became a crucial bridge figure in 1960s pop culture, especially through his mentorship of George Harrison, helping catalyse the West’s deeper engagement with Indian classical music.
And to keep the detail precise: Harrison played the sitar on “Norwegian Wood”, widely noted as a watershed moment for Indian instrumentation entering Western rock.
The Casting Card: A Global Line-up
Sony’s four-film plan positions four actors as the Beatles’ core quartet:
- Harris Dickinson — John Lennon
- Paul Mescal — Paul McCartney
- Joseph Quinn — George Harrison
- Barry Keoghan — Ringo Starr
And the supporting cast list you mentioned checks out too:
- Lucy Boynton — Jane Asher
- Morfydd Clark — Cynthia Lennon
- Harry Lawtey — Stuart Sutcliffe
- Farhan Akhtar — Ravi Shankar
The Big Release Play: “First bingeable theatrical experience”
Mendes and Sony have framed the format as a theatrical event—four films in one month, meant to pull audiences back into cinemas with a true “event viewing” model.
Looking Ahead
For Indian audiences, the headline isn’t just “Farhan in a Hollywood project.” It’s the symbolism: an Indian maestro—whose music reshaped global listening—being written back into the Beatles story at blockbuster scale, with a 2028 theatrical landing that Sony clearly wants to dominate.
—By Manoj H