Farhan Akhtar Makes Hollywood Debut as Ravi Shankar in The Beatles

​​Farhan Akhtar will soon make his Hollywood debut in Sam Mendes’ The Beatles. He will play the role of sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar.

Last week, Sony Pictures announced that Farhan will feature in the four-film cinematic event.

“Honoured and grateful to be part of the ever-expanding legacy of The Beatles and of Pandit Ravi Shankar ji. Their creative genius is a rite of passage for generation after generation of listeners. Thank you, Sam Mendes. I have been an ardent admirer of all your work, and to be directed by you in this film is the stuff dreams are made of,” the actor-filmmaker wrote.

The Beatles is a four-film cinematic event, with each film being told from the perspective of one of its members.

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

Pandit Ravi Shankar, a legend of Indian classical music, was a close friend of George Harrison, and his music had a deep impact on the band. After hearing Shankar’s music, Harrison sought him out and became his student.

Due to Ravi Shankar’s influence, Indian musical instruments began appearing in Beatles songs such as “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”, “Within You Without You”, and more.

As The Beatles were extremely famous worldwide, Ravi Shankar’s influence helped spark Western interest in Indian classical music. It also increased global sales of sitars and encouraged cross-cultural musical exchange.

The Beatles films are slated to release in theatres in April 2028.