Director Seema Upadhyay to take Mother Teresa's story to screens

A biographical drama film on Saint Mother Teresa, the founder of Missionaries of Charity, has been announced. The film will be directed by Seema Upadhyay, who has also penned the script, the producers said in a statement.

The project's cast and crew will feature both Hollywood and Bollywood artists, the makers said. They said they met with Sister Prema Mary Pierick, current Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, and Sister Lynne in Kolkata recently to take their blessings for the project.

"We visited the charity of missionaries in Kolkata and the experience was surreal. Mother Prema prayed Hail Mary and sought divine guidance for the film. They also blessed the whole team for their protection, completion and success of the film with the firm belief that it will bring peace and light to everyone associated with this film," Upadhyay said in a statement. The project will be produced by Pradeep Sharma, Nitin Manmohan, Girish Johar & Prachi Manmohan.

"We are extremely delighted and happy to produce the official biopic on Mother Teresa - the great saint, who is known to the entire world for her nobility and charity. "She is a global icon & we will ensure to leave no stone unturned to meet her international stature and pay our tribute to the noble soul. We hope we will do justice and will be able to spread the message for peace, love and humanity that Mother Teresa stood for," the producers said.

The film will go on floor by the end of this year and will release in 2020. Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910, at Skopje in Macedonia. She died on September 5, 1997, less than a month after her 86th birthday.

She was the recipient of numerous honours including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and the Bharat Ratna in 1980. In 2003, she was beatified as "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta".

(With inputs from agencies.)