Aamir Khan, Hirani reunite for Phalke biopic

New Delhi

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and director Rajkumar Hirani are teaming up once again for a new film based on the life of Dadasaheb Phalke, known as the Father of Indian Cinema. This marks their third collaboration after 3 Idiots (2009) and PK (2014).

The biopic, which is currently untitled, is set to begin filming in October. Aamir Khan will start preparing for the role after his upcoming movie Sitaare Zameen Par is released.

Dadasaheb Phalke, whose full name was Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, made India’s first feature film, Raja Harishchandra, in 1913. He also created other notable works like Lanka Dahan, Shri Krishna Janma, and Kaliya Mardan. In his honor, the Indian government established the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1969. It is the highest award in Indian cinema and recognizes a lifetime of contribution to the industry.

The film is set during India’s freedom struggle and tells the inspiring journey of a man who built the foundation of Indian cinema from nothing. Writers Abhijat Joshi, Hindukush Bharadwaj, and Avishkar Bharadwaj have been developing the script with Hirani for four years.

Phalke’s grandson, Chandrashekhar Srikrishna Pusalkar, has supported the project and shared personal stories to help bring authenticity to the film. Advanced AI and VFX work by Los Angeles-based studios is already underway to recreate the era accurately.