Taapsee Pannu to play Mithali Raj in biopic

Taapsee Pannu is all set to learn the nuances of cricket to play Mithali Raj in a biopic on her life.

Taapsee Pannu joined Indian ODI captain Mithali Raj in her birthday celebrations.

It's no secret that Taapsee Pannu is interested in sport. Besides co-owning the Pune franchise in the Premier Badminton League, her passion for sport is also evident in her cinema. She has played a hockey player in Soorma , a biopic based on the life of former Indian captain Sandeep Singh Saini and Saand Ki Aankh , a film based on the lives of shooters Chandro and Prakash Tomar. Her character in Anurag Kashyap's Manmarziyan was also a hockey player. This sporting streak is all set to continue with her new film, except this time, the actor will pick up the cricket bat.

In an announcement on Tuesday, Taapsee revealed that she will play Indian ODI captain Mithali Raj in a biopic based on her life. Titled Shabaash Mithu , the film will see Rahul Dholakia assume the director's chair and will be rolled out by Viacom18 Studios. 

The film's announcement coincides with the batswoman's 37th birthday. In an Instagram post, Taapsee wished the Indian cricketer, also expressing her desire to emulate Raj's signature cover drive.

View this post on Instagram

Happy Happy Birthday Captain @mithaliraj ! You have made all of us proud in more than many ways and it's truly an honour to be chosen to showcase your journey on screen. On this Birthday of yours I don't know what gift I can give you but this promise that I shall give it all I have to make sure you will be proud of what you see of yourself on screen with #ShabaashMithu P.S- I am all prepared to learn THE 'cover drive' #HappyBirthdayCaptain

A post shared by Taapsee Pannu (@taapsee) on Dec 2, 2019 at 7:14pm PST

"It's truly an honour to play the role of India's most successful captain where women's cricket is concerned. Even though I have already started feeling the pressure of stepping in her shoes, I don't think I want to trade this place with anyone else right now," said the 32-year-old.

Talking about looking forward to learning another sport she also added, "The way Mithali has changed the way women's cricket is perceived and seen in India is truly a story worth telling. She has always been brave and strong to back truth and her idols and that's the connect I feel with her."

The Pink actor also shared an image of Mithali's autograph. This announcement comes after she had hinted at taking up a sporting biopic a few months ago. With this film, Taapsee joins the likes of Emraan Hashmi (Azhar), Sushant Singh Rajput (MS Dhoni), Shahid Kapoor (Jersey) and Ranveer Singh (83) who also have cricket biopics to their name.

Besides this, she will also be seen in Rashmi Rocket, a sports drama based on a fictional Gujarati runner.

(With inputs from IANS)