Sushant Singh Rajput to star in India’s first space odyssey

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput is set to play an astronaut in ‘India’s first space odyssey’, helmed by director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan.

Sushant is the second mainstream actor to essay the role of an astronaut in the recent past. Earlier this month, Aamir Khan had confirmed that he was set to play astronaut Rakesh Sharma in his next. Sharma was the first Indian to travel to space.

According to a report in a leading daily, Sushant will play the role of an astranaut in Chauhan’s directorial ‘Chandamama Door Ke’.

Prior to this, Chauhand had directed 2010’s sports drama titled ‘Lahore’. The film was based on the India-Pakistan peace talks with the backdrop of a kickboxing match between representatives of each country. The film won two National Film awards.

The plot of the film reportedly revolves around a group of astronauts who venture into space to complete a mission that unifies the entire nation. “It promises to be an epic film that has not been attempted before and I’m really excited to be a part of it”, said Sushant.

Chauhan, who has spent months researching on the subject, told TOI, “Our story isn’t based on anyone in particular but is inspired by multiple incidents that occurred in the past. It traces the journey of India’s space programme and culminates with the country’s first astronaut landing on the moon in 2017-18.”

The makers have reached out to teams that have worked on Hollywood space blockbusters like Armageddon, Star Trek and Apollo 13. Chauhan claims that the fictional film will match the high standards set by Hollywood movies and not disappoint Indian viewers in terms of special effects and VFX.

The film’s remaining star cast and production dates are yet to be finalized.