Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; July 6, 2018)

A title holder of many firsts, captain of the Indian women’s cricket team Mithali Raj caught the attention of producers Viacom18, who pursued her for the creation of a biopic last year.

Ahead of the casting process for her part, Raj tells midday that she already has a name on her mind. “I think Priyanka Chopra will be a great choice [ to play me in the biopic]. Our personalities match a lot,” says the sports person, quick to add that she’s happy to leave the final decision in the hands of the makers. “I am not a movie buff, so I’d love the experts to do their job,” she reasons.

Like former cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was when a film on him was in the works, Raj too is actively helping the makers acquire the required details about her life. “I have helped the team with the research, which has now been completed. The film is currently in the scripting stage. Once that’s done, I will have a look at it to see if there is anything I would want to add,” says Raj, adding that the unit will only start rolling next year. In the meantime, sports aficionados can get their hands on her autobiography, which she says, will be unveiled in September.

Talking to mid-day at the launch of Australian Diamonds, Raj suggests that stories of individual struggles are fodder for the creation of motivational cinema. At a time when a gamut of biopics on sports persons are underway — Shraddha Kapoor starrer biopic on Saina Nehwal, a film on Kapil Dev which features Ranveer Singh and one on Abhinav Bindra starring Harshvardhan Kapoor — Raj says such movies inspire the youth. “Be it any field, struggles of people are real. When you bring them to the big screen, people can relate to them and get motivated.”