India's maiden Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan gets biopic

Mumbai, July 18 (IANS) Filmmaker Mahesh Narayanan, known for his work in “Take Off,” “Malik,” and Locarno title “Ariyippu,” is set to direct the tentatively titled “NK 370”, chronicling the extraordinary journey of Narain Karthikeyan, India’s first Formula One driver.

Motorsport gave me everything. This film gives that story to the world,” said Karthikeyan.

The film follows Karthikeyan’s remarkable rise from a rebellious boy in Coimbatore to the international racing circuit, overcoming class, color, and crashes to reach Formula One’s pinnacle.

“Narain Karthikeyan’s journey isn’t just about racing. It’s about belief — in yourself, your country, and a dream no one else can see. That’s what drew me to this story,” said Narayanan.

The Tamil-language feature film is currently in development at India’s Blue Marble Films. It will be produced by Faraz Ahsan, Vivek Rangachari, and Pratik Maitra. The screenplay comes from Shalini Usha Devi, who penned the critically acclaimed “Soorarai Pottru,” reports variety.com.

Ahsan said: “India has some of the most dangerous roads in the world — just surviving traffic here takes skill. But what fascinated me was how someone like NK went from navigating those roads to racing at 365 km/h — a speed faster than a commercial aircraft at takeoff.”

“I’ve been after Narain for years to secure the rights, and after a few honest conversations and the right team coming together, he finally said yes.”

The story begins with young Narain sitting on his father’s lap, gripping the steering wheel of an old rally car. His father, a former national rally champion, had filled their home with engines, tools, and unrealized dreams.

At five, Narain received a homemade go-kart, crashing and spinning across the driveway — particularly enjoying wet conditions that made racing more challenging. Despite his parents’ concerns about the expensive sport and lack of government support, Narain’s passion never wavered.

After excelling in his 10th-grade exams, he convinced his parents to let him return to racing. His father modified a Maruti 800 into a training car and became his coach, as reported by variety.com.

At fifteen, Narain entered his first Formula Maruti race at Sriperumbudur circuit in Chennai in 1992. Starting 17th on the grid, he fell to last place early but rallied in the final 10 laps, overtaking 16 racers to finish third — announcing the arrival of India’s motorsport underdog.

To prove himself internationally, Narain attended the prestigious Winfield Racing School in France, where more than 30 F1 drivers had trained.

As the only Indian and only brown-skinned driver, he faced racism and bullying from 20 white students from elite families. During his final test in wet conditions, he recorded the second-fastest lap time, earning recognition as “something special.”

The film will showcase both his triumphs including wins in Formula Asia, British Formula Ford, and Formula 3 and his setback at the Macau Grand Prix, where he crashed at 270 km/h on the final lap while leading by six seconds.

The narrative includes his romantic subplot, meeting his future wife in an elevator — a woman who knew nothing about racing but believed in him unconditionally. His redemption came when he returned to Macau, trained harder by driving dangerous mountain hairpins in Ooty, and won the race that had once destroyed his dreams.

--IANS

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