There’s a reason underdog sports dramas refuse to go out of fashion — when they work, they really work. And Variety has announced that NK 370 is looking to ride the slipstream of Brad Pitt’s F1 success to tell the story of the upcoming biopic about India’s first Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan. All the elements to a great underdog story are here: raw talent, generational grit, casual racism, soul-crushing setbacks, and, of course, a last-lap comeback.
The Team Behind the Wheel
Acclaimed director Mahesh Narayanan (Take Off, Malik) is behind the wheel for this Tamil-language feature, currently in development at new studio “Blue Marble Films“. The screenplay is by Shalini Usha Devi (Soorarai Pottru), whose resume already includes one of India’s most acclaimed rags-to-riches screen stories. In other words: they know exactly what they’re doing.
The Story Practically Writes Itself
Narain Karthikeyan’s arc is built for the big screen. The son of a rally champion, he was gripping steering wheels before he could reach the pedals, crashing his homemade go-kart at five. By fifteen, he was racing professionally. And by 2005, he became the first Indian to line up on a Formula One grid, famously outqualifying Michael Schumacher on debut.
But NK 370 doesn’t just chart the rise. It’s also about the crash — literally. A devastating wreck at the Macau Grand Prix, the loss of sponsors, a return to obscurity, and a comeback story that sees Karthikeyan training on mountain hairpins and winning back the race that nearly ended his dream. Also included: an elevator meet-cute with the woman who’d become his wife. If that sounds like Rush by way of Chak De! India, it is — and that’s not a bad thing.
High-Speed, High-Stakes Drama
Producer Faraz Ahsan frames Karthikeyan’s life with blunt clarity:
“India has some of the most dangerous roads in the world — just surviving traffic here takes skill. But NK went from that to 365 km/h.”
The man has a point.
Karthikeyan, now in his late 40s, reflects on the film with a kind of quiet awe:
“Motorsport gave me everything. This film gives that story to the world.”
Cast announcements are still under wraps, but the production is clearly targeting a global audience, especially one newly obsessed with Formula 1 thanks to Netflix’s Drive to Survive.
Meanwhile, Narayanan Has Another Movie Revving Up
While NK 370 is in early development, Mahesh Narayanan is already on location in Sri Lanka, filming another high-profile project — a Malayalam-language political thriller tentatively titled Patriot. It stars megastars Mohanlal, Mammootty, Fahadh Faasil, and Nayanthara, and is generating major buzz across South Indian cinema.
In other words: Narayanan is driving two major films at once, and whichever crosses the finish line first could shape how this biopic lands.
The Bigger Picture
If NK 370 delivers, Narain Karthikeyan may no longer be just “India’s first F1 driver.” He could become the face of India’s most iconic motorsports film — a slick, sweeping, high-speed epic about refusing to let your country, your class, or your crash define you.