Indian Filmmaker & Actor Farhan Akhtar Signs With Crimson Media & The SB Initiative

Jesse Whittock
·2 min read

EXCLUSIVE: Indian filmmaker and actor Farhan Akhtar has signed with Crimson Media and The SB Initiative.

Akhtar, who co-founded Excel Entertainment, is known for writing, directing and producing the 2006 box office hut Don, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra and its sequel, Don 2, in 2011. A third film in the trilogy, Don 3: The Final Chapter is currently in pre-production and will star Ranveer Singh. Akhtar reunited with Chopra in 2019 for biographical drama The Sky is Pink, which premiered in Toronto.

More from Deadline

The multi-hyphenate is also the star of films including 2008 Indian musical drama Rock On!, in which he made his on-screen acting and singing debut and the 2011 road trip drama Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, which he wrote and produced. His sister, Zoya Akhtar, directed the movie, which was among the highest-grossing Bollywood films that year.

Other roles include a portrayal of ‘The Flying Sikh, Indian sprinter Milkha Singh, in 2013 biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, which won him a Best Actor award at the Filmfare Awards. He also starred in Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do, an ensemble family comedy-drama starring Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma.

More recently, Akhtar starred in Prime Video boxing drama Toofan and played a key cameo role in Disney+’s Marvel series Ms. Marvel.

His Mumbai-based banner, Excel Entertainment, struck a multi-year series deal with Netflix in 2021, which has led to shows such as Eternally Confused and Eager for Love and Dabba Cartel. Season 3 of the company’s Prime Video series Mirzapur recently became the streamer’s most-watched original in the country, with a fourth season confirmed.

Crimson Media and The SB Initiative have been upping the number Indian stars on their books in recent months, with Sayani Gupta and Rajshri Deshpande among them. Matt Kniaz of Crimson Media and Suchir Batra of The SB Initiative will rep Akhtar in all areas worldwide.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next