Indian thespian Manoj Bajpayee‘s first screen portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi will focus on a previously undisclosed chapter of India’s independence history, according to new details released on the Sudhir Mishra-directed film.

Saurabh Shukla has joined the cast, and Narendra Hirawat and NH Studioz have come aboard as producer and presenter, respectively, alongside Anubhav Sinha‘s Benaras Mediaworks.

Sinha, known for directing “Mulk,” “Article 15” and “Thappad,” is producing the feature as Mishra’s next directorial effort. The film marks Mishra’s return to a theatrical release after 2023’s “Afwaah,” and it lands as he nears four decades working in Hindi cinema. Mishra has won three Indian National Film Awards, for “Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin” (best debut film of a director), “Dharavi” (best feature film in Hindi) and “Main Zinda Hoon” (best film on other social issues), and his credits also include “Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi” and “Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin.”

Bajpayee, a multiple Indian National Film Award winner, takes on the role of Gandhi for the first time in his career. Shukla joins him in the ensemble cast.

“This new film focuses on an important yet lesser-known chapter of history – the 21 days in the life of Mahatma Gandhi during India’s independence. At a time when the nation was stepping into freedom, and Delhi was becoming the center of power, Gandhi made an unexpected choice: he chose to walk away. But by walking away, he did not retreat. He reinvented himself. While history books record the surface events of that era, this story explores what lay beneath that famous choice and will depict the personal journey of a leader redefining his path,” Mishra tells Variety.

Sinha and Hirawat produce the film through Sinha’s Benaras Mediaworks banner, with NH Studioz presenting.

The film joins Hansal Mehta’s own Gandhi series, starring Pratik Gandhi and scored by A.R. Rahman for Applause Entertainment, which has yet to unveil a streaming home.