Not Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, Farhan Akhtar to star in Rakesh Sharma biopic

A biopic on India’s legendary astronaut Rakesh Sharma was first announced two years back. Mahesh Mathai will be directing the film. Aamir Khan was the first choice to star in the film. After he opted out, Shah Rukh Khan showed his interest in the project. However, SRK also walked out after the failure of his ambitious film ‘Zero’. As per latest reports, Farhan Akhtar will be starring in the film.

Farhan is currently working on the boxing film ‘Toofan’ directed by Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra. After its completion, he is expected to start working on the Rakesh Sharma biopic. More details regarding the cast and crew will be revealed during the official announcement.

Rakesh Sharma is a former Indian Air Force Pilot who flew aboard Soyuz T-11 in 1984, as part of a joint program between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Soviet Intercosmos space program. He had spent 7 days 21 hours and 40 minutes in space and remains to this day the only Indian to travel to space.

The biopic is rumoured to be titled as ‘Saare Jahaan Se Achcha’. It has been scripted by Anjum Rajabali, best known for his work in films like ‘Ghulam’, ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’ and ‘Raajneeti’. The film will be jointly produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur and Ronnie Screwvala under the banners of Roy Kapur Films and RSVP Films.