Farhan Akhtar to portray Ravi Shankar in Sam Mendes' 'The Beatles'
New Delhi (PTI): Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar is all set to play the role of sitar icon Ravi Shankar in filmmaker Sam Mendes' upcoming four-part movie saga on The Beatles, slated to release in theatres in April 2028.
Sony Pictures shared the news of Akhtar's casting with a post on its official X handle on Friday.
"New casting announced for 'The Beatles - A Four-Film Cinematic Event', directed by Sam Mendes. Farhan Akhtar will star as Ravi Shankar, Lucy Boynton will star as Jane Asher. Morfydd Clark will star as Cynthia (Powell) Lennon. Harry Lawtey will star as Stuart Sutcliffe. In cinemas April 2028. #TheBeatlesMovies," the studio posted.
Mendes, the director of critical hits like "American Beauty", "Road to Perdition", "Revolutionary Road", James Bond movies "Skyfall" and "Spectre", and "1917", has taken on the ambitious duty of directing the four-film series chronicling the legendary British band, with each movie told from the perspective of one of the Beatles members.
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The band was formed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in 1960 and is known for tracks such as "Hey Jude", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and "Yesterday", and "Penny Lane", among others. The band broke up in 1970.
In the film, Paul Mescal will feature as Paul McCartney, Harrison Dickinson as John Lennon, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.
Ravi Shankar's music had influenced the Beatles, particularly Harrison, who learned Sitar from the Indian maestro. The band introduced Indian instruments in several of their songs including "Norwegian Wood", "Within You Without You " and "Love To You".
Shankar and Harrison remained friends till the very end and even collaborated together in a concert in the newly-independent Bangladesh on August 1, 1971.
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the families of the late John Lennon and George Harrison have given the filmmaker the full life story and music rights for the upcoming films.
Boynton will play Jane Asher, McCartney's ex-girlfriend, Clark will star as Cynthia Powell, who was married to Lennon for four years.
Lawtey will star as Stuart Sutcliffe, the band’s bass guitarist, often referred to as the “fifth Beatle”. He later left the group to study art at Hamburg College of Art, but died suddenly at the age of 21 after complaining of a severe headache during class; the cause was later determined to be a brain haemorrhage.
Akhtar was most recently seen in the war drama "120 Bahadur". In the west, the actor played a small part in Marvel Studios' series "Ms. Marvel".
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
