Farhan Akhtar has stepped up as the new lead of the Rakesh Sharma biopic, a report in Mumbai Mirror claims. Directed by Mahesh Mathai, the upcoming film will be shot in Russia and chronicle Rakesh Sharma’s journey as the first Indian to travel in space.

Announced in 2018, the film was initially set to star Aamir Khan. However, the actor had dropped out of the project to focus on his dream vehicle, Mahabharata. He was replaced by Shah Rukh Khan in the role of the former Air Force pilot turned astronaut. Later, Shah Rukh too abandoned the project after his 2019 release, Zero, crashed at the box-office. Of late, actors Vicky Kaushal and Ranbir Kapoor were rumoured to headline the biopic.

Farhan Akhtar was last seen in The Sky Is Pink (2019). His upcoming film is the boxing drama, Toofan.