In the New Year, Applause Entertainment is gearing up to unveil two ambitious web series centered around two significant historical figures in India. Known for producing popular shows such as Scam 1992, Undekhi, Rudra: The Edge of Darkness, Your Honor, Criminal Justice, and Tanaav, the Sameer Nair-led production banner is working on projects based on the lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. While both have already been announced, PeepingMoon.com exclusively has the casting details for them.
The Mahatma Gandhi project, an epic period drama series set to bring alive the rich history of the Indian freedom struggle, will commence in January after months of intense pre-production. Pratik Gandhi, the breakout star from Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, will portray the titular role of Gandhi, while joining him are Jay Bhatt (Vash, Satyaprem Ki Katha), Krunal Pandit (Bajrangi Bhaijan, Arya), and Ojas Rawal (Rashmi Rocket) in other pivotal roles. Hansal Mehta is directing this show, with Siddharth Basu attached to serve as the factual advisor and historical and creative consultant.
Titled Gandhi, this multi-season series is based on Indian historian and journalist Ramachandra Guha’s intricately researched biographical books, Gandhi Before India and Gandhi – The Years That Changed the World. The first season will be the adaptation of Guha’s initial book, depicting Gandhi’s early days and his actions as a lawyer in South Africa, followed by subsequent seasons that will cover the chapter of his independence struggle. Hansal Mehta, Sameer Nair, and their team are dedicated to portraying Gandhi’s life as authentically as possible, aiming to revolutionize Indian streaming with this epic-scale retelling of history. The series will be filmed across various Indian and foreign locations, including London and South Africa.
Applause Entertainment's second period drama series, Trail of an Assassin, revolves around the assassination of former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv Kumar, who was recently seen in Sonakshi Sinha’s Amazon Prime series Dahaad, has been cast in the role of Gandhi, while Amit Sial, Saurabh Dubey, and Nishan Nanaiah form the rest of the principal cast. The show is currently in production and is expected to start streaming in the second half of 2024 on a leading OTT platform.
The Rajiv Gandhi series is not a biographical drama. It is crafted as a crime procedural focusing on how the CBI’s Special Investigation Team unraveled the plot, identified the assassins, and pursued the mastermind to his final hideout. Adapted from Anirudhya Mitra’s book Ninety Days: The True Story of the Hunt for Rajiv Gandhi’s Assassin, the Nagesh Kukunoor directorial aims to shed light on the immediate aftermath of this heinous crime, presenting the various facets and layers of the largest manhunt in Indian history in a more nuanced and engrossing manner.
Apart from these two Gandhi projects, Applause Entertainment is actively developing multiple other shows, in addition to two feature films, Salaam Noni Appa and Sharmajee Ki Beti, which are ready and awaiting release on OTT platforms. Also in the works are a biographical series on Ramalinga Raju, the tainted founder of Satyam Computers, and a biopic based on the life of the former Prime Minister, P.V. Narsimha Rao.
