Who will play G Rupa Devi in her biopic, Prachi Desai or Parineeti Chopra?

Prachi Desai or Parineeti Chopra are rumoured to have been approached for a biopic on 'only Indian woman' to qualify as international football referee

2016 has been billed as the year of biopics. While two films on real personalities — Sonam Kapoor-starrer 'Neerja' and Hansal Mehta's 'Aligarh' — have already released, nearly half a dozen more will hit the big screen all year round and an equal number will roll out in the coming months.

Prachi Desai and Parineeti Chopra

Now add to this a proposed biopic on G Rupa Devi, a young physical training teacher from Tamil Nadu who was recently selected to officiate international matches conducted by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Sources say the makers have approached Prachi Desai and Parineeti Chopra for the protagonist's role.

"It will be shot in various parts of the world and will go on floors by June. Talks are on with Prachi and Parineeti to star in the film which will be helmed by a newcomer. An official announcement will be made soon," says a source working on the untitled project, without divulging details about the production house involved.

Rupa, a science graduate from Dindigul in Tamil Nadu, is the only Indian woman to have been selected by FIFA as an international referee, claims the source. After passing several tests and enrolling for Project Future Referees (the FIFA programme for referees), she qualified as the first female referee from the state to be selected by the apex football association. This entry marked a milestone in the sports arena since football, like most sports, is considered a male bastion.

Prachi and Parineeti, who is currently in Australia, remained unavailable for comment while a source close to the makers says, "In this film, the actress in consideration will have to somewhat do what Shah Rukh Khan did in 'Chak De! India' (2007) or Priyanka Chopra did in 'Mary Kom' (2014). We are looking for a someone with a childlike face but also mass appeal to be able to shoulder the film. We are already in talks with various top seed footballers to feature in the film alongside the actress."

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