After the success of Sitaare Zameen Par, fans of Aamir Khan have been waiting to hear what the actor will do next. The actor has an upcoming release in the form of Vir Das's Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos (Jan. 16), which has Aamir as a producer and in a cameo appearance.
The latter's next full-fledged acting venture, however, is expected to be a reunion with one of his former blockbuster collaborators, Rajkumar Hirani ("3 Idiots", "PK"). The project is a biopic of Dadasaheb Phalke, celebrated as the "father of Indian cinema."
The project was reportedly supposed to go on floors in January 2026. However, the latest update is that both Aamir and Hirani have opted for a script revision to make it more accessible to modern audiences, with a plan to start filming in March 2026.
“Hirani and Aamir agree that the film must feel emotionally contemporary while staying rooted in history. The rewrite is to fine-tune the balance of humour and sincerity. They want to ensure that the character arc captures Phalke’s stature. The draft will likely be finalised by February, and production will begin in late March,” reported Mid-Day.
An earlier report in Bollywood Hungama quoted an industry source saying, “After repeated sessions of rewrite, the duo have collectively decided to put the project on hold. They believe that a personality as iconic as Dadasaheb Phalke deserves a script that is both emotionally stirring and universally engaging. Until they arrive at that benchmark, they are in no hurry to rush the film into production.”
Hirani has been working on the project for four years.
As per the makers, the film is set against the backdrop of India's independence struggle and will chronicle the extraordinary journey of the man who laid the foundation of Indian cinema.
Phalke made his directorial debut in 1913 with Raja Harishchandra, a silent film inspired by the legend of King Harishchandra. Phalke's desire to make a film on this subject was born out of an urge to do a film along the lines of Alice Guy-Blache's 1906 French silent short film The Birth, the Life, and Death of Christ.
The film's behind-the-scenes account is filled with fascinating anecdotes, such as the casting of men in roles meant for women, given that it was difficult to find women to act at the time due to constrictive socio-political norms of the time.
Notably, Marathi filmmaker Paresh Mokashi directed a light-hearted, humorous biopic of Phalke in 2009 titled Harishchandrachi Factory, starring Nandhu Madhav as the eponymous figure. Interestingly, Madhav reprised his role, briefly, in the Prithviraj-starrer Celluloid (2013), directed by Kamal. It was also a biopic of a real-life filmmaker, J.C. Daniel, the father of Malayalam cinema.
Aside from the Hirani movie, Aamir is also expected to announce another project this year.