Pankaj Tripathi to play Atal Bihari Vajpayee in biopic; film to release in Dec 2023

Actor Pankaj Tripathi is all set to essay the role of the former Prime Minister of India, and senior BJP leader, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in a biopic titled Main Rahoon Ya Na Rahoon Yeh Desh Rehna Chahiye -ATAL.

The film will be adapted from the book The Untold Vajpayee: politician and paradox penned by Ullekh NP.

The film will be directed by three-time National Award-winner Ravi Jadhav, (of Balgandharva, Timepass fame), who said that as a director he could not have asked for a better story than of Atal ji. To top that, he has “an exemplary actor like Pankaj Tripathi to bring to life Atal ji’s story and the support of the producers”, he added.

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“I hope that I can live up to people’s expectations with ATAL,” said Jadhav in a statement.

Meanwhile, Pankaj, whose upcoming film is OMG-Oh My God 2! with Akshay Kumar, Yami Gautam and Arun Govil, said that it is an “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,” he said, adding that getting to be in his shoes is nothing but a privilege for an actor like him.

The film is on Vajpayee, who headed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and served as the Prime Minister of India thrice from 1996 to 2004. His first term in 1996 as the PM lasted for just 13 days, after which he did a 13-month-long term from 1998 to 1999. Finally, he was able to complete a five year term as PM from 1999 to 2004.

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The producer Vinod Bhanushali said that Pankaj Tripathi was the unanimous choice to play Atal ji from the time they started discussing the film. “We are delighted to have one of India’s finest actors playing the part. We also have an exceptional director on board who we are sure will bring the story of our exemplary leader beautifully,” he said. The film is written by Utkarsh Naithani.

This biopic will release in Christmas 2023, which also marks the 99th birth anniversary of Vajpayee.