Aamir Khan and Rajkumar Hirani, celebrated for their blockbuster collaborations on ‘3 Idiots’ and ‘PK’, are reuniting for a biopic on Dadasaheb Phalke, the pioneer of Indian cinema. The actor-director duo has quietly been developing this project for years and aim to deliver an unparalleled cinematic experience chronicling the origins of Indian cinema.

While the film was only recently announced, PeepingMoon.com has learned that Aamir and Hirani are targeting April 30, 2027, for its release, aligning with Phalke’s 157th birth anniversary. Pre-production is slated to begin in October, with shooting scheduled for around December. The plan is to wrap it up by mid-2026, allowing sufficient time for intensive post-production work, including intricate VFX. A LA-based company specializing in AI-driven designs, has been brought on board to authentically depict the early 1900s.

Sources say Aamir will undergo extensive preparation, including dialect coaching and other forms of specialized training, to accurately portray Phalke. He is expected to begin preparations a month after the release of his much-awaited sports comedy, ‘Sitare Zameen Par’, on June 20.

Hirani is teaming up with his frequent writing partner Abhijat Joshi and two other writers, Hindukush Bharadwaj and Avishkar Bharadwaj, to script Phalke’s extraordinary journey. Phalke’s grandson Chandrashekhar Srikrishna Pusalkar has provided valuable insights and anecdotes to enrich the script’s authenticity.

Aamir and Hirani were once toying with the idea of a biopic of Lala Amarnath, independent India's first cricket captain. They put it on the backburner after the disappointing performance of ‘Dunki’ and fast-tracked development on the Dadasaheb Phalke biopic, which had been in the works for several years.