Pankaj Tripathi to play former PM and BJP co-founder Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi is all set to portray former Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the biopic "Main Rahoon Ya Na Rahoon Yeh Desh Rehna Chahiye-Atal". 

Written by Utkarsh Naithani and directed by three-time National Award winner Ravi Jadhav, the film will follow the life of Atal Bihari Vajpayee—one of the co-founders and senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

Tripathi shared that he is honoured to be able to play a legendary, multi-faceted individual such as Vajpayee.

In 1996, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was elected the Prime Minister of India. He was forced to quit when the BJP failed to garner enough support from other parties to form a majority. Vajpayee was re-elected as Prime Minister for a second and third term in 1998 and 1999, respectively. At the age of 93, Vajpayee died on August 16, 2018.

The film, based on Ullekh NP's book "The Untold Vajpayee: Politician And Paradox", is set to be released around Christmas 2023.