Actor Pankaj Tripathi will portray former Indian Prime Minister and late BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his forthcoming biopic.
The film, titled Main Rahoon Ya Na Rahoon Yeh Desh Rehna Chahiye- ATAL, will be directed by Ravi Jadhav (known for the Marathi films Natarang, Balgandharva, and Nude) and written by Utkarsh Naithani.
Speaking about playing Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pankaj Tripathi said, “It's my honour to portray such a humane politician on screen. He was not just a politician but so much more, he was an excellent writer and a renowned poet. Getting to be in his shoes is nothing but a privilege for an actor like me.”
National Award-winner Ravi Jadhav mentioned, “For me as a director, I couldn’t have asked for any better story than that of Atalji. On top of this, having an exemplary actor like Pankaj Tripathi to bring to screen Atalji’s story and the support of the producers. I hope that I can live up to people’s expectations with ATAL.”
Producer Vinod Bhanushali shared, “Unanimously, we all had imagined Pankaj Tripathi playing Atalji since we began discussing the film. We are delighted to have one of India’s finest actors playing the part. We also have an exceptional director ‘Raviji’ on board who we are sure will bring the story of our exemplary leader beautifully.”
Producer Sandeep Singh added, “India is soon going to celebrate the life of Atal Ji and his political ideologies. We have a powerful duo of Pankaj Ji and Ravi Ji to bring the story to life. We aim to release this film in Christmas 2023 which also marks the 99th birth anniversary of Bharat Rana Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji.”
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the co-founder and first president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a breakaway faction and successor of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He served two short terms and a full term (from 1999-2004) as Indian Prime Minister. Having retired from active politics, he passed away in August 2018 at the age of 93.
Co-incidentally, actor Shreyas Talpade will be seen in the role of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Kangana Ranaut's Emergency.
(This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)