Siddhant Chaturvedi to Play V. Shantaram in New Biopic on Indian Cinema Pioneer
The first poster for V. Shantaram introduces Siddhant Chaturvedi as the influential filmmaker, as the team behind the project promises a contemporary look at the director’s life and legacy.
Siddhant Chaturvedi is set to portray filmmaker V. Shantaram in an upcoming biographical drama that revisits the life and legacy of one of Indian cinema’s most formative figures. The film, titled V. Shantaram, was announced on Monday with a first-look poster shared on social media, presenting Chaturvedi stepping into the role of the director whose influence continues to loom large over Indian filmmaking.
Shantaram, who began his career in the silent era and later co-founded the Prabhat Film Company, is widely credited with steering the industry through multiple technological transitions, including the arrival of sound and colour. His films were a mix of social dramas, experiments in form and narrative, and overtly political works positioned him as a director attuned to both craft and commentary. Though celebrated in film history circles, his name is far less familiar to younger audiences, something the makers of the biopic say they hope to address.
Chaturvedi called the part “one of the greatest honours” of his career, saying he was particularly struck by Shantaram’s persistence through periods of financial and artistic uncertainty. Preparing for the role, he said, meant engaging with an era of filmmaking where improvisation and risk were often necessities rather than stylistic choices.
Writer-director Abhijeet Shirish Deshpande said Shantaram’s “courage to experiment” remains a benchmark for filmmakers working today. The biopic, he added, aims to offer a clear-eyed look at the director’s personal and professional complexities rather than a straightforward celebratory portrait.
Producers Subhas Kale and Sarita Ashwin Varde said the project grew out of a desire to revisit what they described as an under-acknowledged chapter of Indian film heritage. Chaturvedi, they noted, was the first choice for the role.
V. Shantaram is presented by Rajkamal Entertainment, Camera Take Films and Roaring Rivers Productions, and is produced by Rahul Kiran Shantaram, Kale and Varde. A release timeline has not yet been announced.