Indian motorsport is finally getting its big-screen moment. Acclaimed filmmaker Mahesh Narayanan, best known for films like ‘Take Off’, ‘Malik’, and the Locarno-selected ‘Ariyippu’, is stepping into new territory with his latest project, a biopic on Narain Karthikeyan, India’s first-ever Formula One driver.
Currently titled “NK 370”, the film is set to trace the high-octane life of Karthikeyan, who broke social and cultural barriers to race on the world’s most prestigious tracks.
The project is being developed by Blue Marble Films, with producers Faraz Ahsan, Vivek Rangachari, and Pratik Maitra backing it.
The screenplay is in the hands of Shalini Usha Devi, who wrote the National Award-winning ‘Soorarai Pottru’.
For Karthikeyan, this film is more than just a sports drama. “Motorsport gave me everything. This film gives that story to the world,” he shared. His journey from a restless kid in Coimbatore to the driver’s seat of a Formula One car is full of challenges, perseverance, and a relentless belief in chasing the impossible.
Mahesh Narayanan says that’s exactly what drew him to the project. “Narain Karthikeyan’s story isn’t just about racing. It’s about conviction, believing in yourself when nobody else does, carrying the hopes of a country, and turning rejection into fuel,” Narayanan said.
The film plans to show the lesser-known aspects of Karthikeyan’s life. It starts in his childhood, where motorsport was quite literally in his blood. His father, a former national rally champion, raised him in a home cluttered with engines, tools, and unfulfilled racing ambitions.
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By the time he was five, Narain was tearing across the driveway in a homemade go-kart, often preferring rainy days because they made racing more unpredictable, and exciting.
But the path to Formula One wasn’t smooth. Motorsport in India was, and still is, an expensive, niche pursuit. With little government support and no roadmap for Indian drivers, his parents worried constantly about the risks and costs.
Yet, after acing his 10th-grade exams, Narain managed to convince them to let him return to racing. His father even retrofitted a Maruti 800 into a training vehicle and took on the role of his coach.
At just 15, Narain competed in his first Formula Maruti race in Chennai. Starting 17th, he dropped to last place but, in a dramatic final push, overtook 16 cars in the last 10 laps to finish third.
Determined to go global, Karthikeyan enrolled in France’s prestigious Winfield Racing School, where over 30 F1 drivers had trained before him. As the only Indian, and the only brown-skinned driver, Narain faced open racism and bullying from his wealthier, mostly white peers.
But he silenced critics during his final test in wet conditions, clocking the second-fastest lap time and earning the label of “something special.”
The film promises to capture both the highlights and heartbreaks of his racing career: from his early wins in Formula Asia, British Formula Ford, and Formula 3, to his devastating crash at the Macau Grand Prix, where he lost control at 270 km/h while leading the race. That moment nearly ended his dreams.