Following the surprise announcement that Aamir Khan and director Rajkumar Hirani are collaborating on a biopic of Dadasaheb Phalke — the father of Indian cinema — fresh attention has turned to a separate Phalke biopic announced last year by filmmaker SS Rajamouli.
Reports had suggested that Jr NTR would play the lead in Rajamouli’s version, tentatively titled Made in India. However, Phalke’s grandson, Chandrashekhar Srikrishna Pusalkar, has voiced his disappointment with Rajamouli’s approach.
In an interview with Amar Ujala, Chandrashekhar said, “I’ve heard about Rajamouli’s project, but no one has reached out to me — not Rajamouli, nor anyone from his team. If someone is making a film on Phalke ji, the family should at least be consulted. We hold the real stories.”
In contrast, Chandrashekhar praised the Aamir-Hirani collaboration, revealing that assistant producer Hindukush Bhardwaj had been in regular contact with him for three years.
“Their team put in genuine effort to earn our trust. Hindukush kept visiting, researching, and asking questions. I told him — go ahead, you are working sincerely, I have no objection.”
He added that he was happy with Aamir Khan playing his grandfather, describing the actor as “serious and honest.”
He also suggested that Vidya Balan would be an ideal choice to portray his grandmother, Saraswatibai Phalke.
While Rajamouli’s Made in India was announced in 2023 and is backed by Varun Gupta and SS Karthikeya’s Max Studios and Showing Business, Aamir and Hirani’s film is expected to begin production later this year after the release of Sitaare Zameen Par.
The overlapping biopics have now sparked debate over authenticity and representation, especially with Phalke’s family openly backing one project and criticizing the other for lack of engagement.
