Vidya Balan to star as India's first female doctor

Ananth Narayan Mahadevan seems quite happy with the success of his film The Xpose. And now the filmmaker is all set to make a biopic on India's first lady doctor Rukhmabai. Mahadevan has his eyes set on Vidya Balan for playing the role of the protagonist in the film.

Ananth confirms this saying, "I met Vidya at her Juhu Tara Road apartment recently. She is caught between two biopics, Rajiv Menon's biopic on Carnatic singer and Bharat Ratna M.S. Subbulakshmi and Rukhmabai's . I'm really keen on her but I don't want to push her. I will meet her one more time and maybe show her the biopic I'm making on the freedom fighter Gauri Hari Das. If things don't work out, I'll consider someone else."

Rukhmabai was married to her husband when she was eleven and he was eighteen. The marriage was dissolved after a lengthy court battle. After which she went to London and qualified in medicines. She was the first Indian woman to go to London and study medicines. Hence she is a pioneer medical woman of India. "She became a qualified doctor in 1894 and returned to practise medicine here," Ananth adds.