If all goes well, Priyanka Chopra will play the legendary athlete P T Usha in her biopic, which will be directed by Malayali filmmaker Revathy S Varmha. The team of the film has been in talks with the actress for the past two years, says Revathy, and getting Priyanka to set aside a considerable amount of her time for the movie is the only issue they face.

“Priyanka has been interested in the movie from the outset, but in the past two years, she got busy with her Hollywood commitments. Whoever is the actress will need to go through rigorous training and preparations, and will need to keep aside at least a year of their time. Both Priyanka and us are hoping she can find the time,“ says Revathy.

The film will feature three stages of Usha's life, as a child, athlete and as the mother and coach that she is now. The director hastens to add that the film will not be a documentary, but an entertainer, which will showcase the sides of the athlete no one is aware of.

“There have been a lot of struggles behind her achievements, and she had to face criticism and rejection at a time when there was no social media to support her. She was the real face of women's empowerment. I myself have been amazed by what she went through as I learn more about her. We are still in the process of doing the research. Also, music director and singer A R Rahman has been roped in to compose the music for the film," says the director. “Since a lot of graphics is required and we have to recreate the time and place, the production says the budget will come to Rs 100 crore,“ says Revathy.

The film will require three major actors too, to play the men in Usha's life - her father, coach and husband. “We are on the lookout for actors to play the roles. Regarding the lead role, Priyanka is our first choice. But we are happy to say that several actors like Sonam Kapoor too have expressed their wish to play the role.“

The film will be made in English, Hindi, Chinese and Russian, besides Malayalam. The reason, says the director, is because they found that Usha has a lot of followers in these countries. “We are not particular that the actors should be from South, as Usha is an international icon. We found that people from Latin America and Africa know about her and admire her, as well.“

The movie will go on floors in six months' time, concludes Revathy.