The proposed biopic on Dadasaheb Phalke, widely regarded as the father of Indian cinema, has become a hot topic in both Bollywood and Tollywood circles, with industry heavyweights Aamir Khan and SS Rajamouli reportedly working on separate versions of the same story.
Speculation began when reports suggested that Rajamouli would present a film titled Made in India, focusing on the journey of Indian cinema's pioneer. The film is expected to be produced by his son SS Karthikeya in collaboration with Varun Gupta, with director Nitin Kakkar at the helm. Notably, Jr NTR is rumoured to play the lead role of Dadasaheb Phalke. Sources indicate that Tarak gave the green signal immediately after hearing the story, adding momentum to the buzz.
In a surprising development, Aamir Khan also announced a biopic on Phalke, to be directed by acclaimed filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani. According to industry insiders, the script has been in development for over four years, with Abhijat Joshi, Hindkush Bharadwaj, and Avishkar Bharadwaj on the writing team. The film is expected to go on floors in October this year, following the release of Aamir's Sitaare Zameen Par.
Amid the clash of announcements, Dadasaheb Phalke's grandson Chandrashekhar Srikrishna responded to the developments, stating that while Rajamouli's team has not approached the family, Aamir Khan's team has been in regular communication for several years. He confirmed that the team had been researching extensively and expressed his full support for Aamir taking on the iconic role. He also added that Vidya Balan would be an ideal choice to portray Phalke's wife, Saraswatibai Phalke.
With two major film industries vying to tell the story of Indian cinema's founding father, the project has become one of the most anticipated biopics in recent times.