Sanjana Reddy, Kona Venkat team up for Karnam Malleswari biopic

Ace writer Kona Venkat is all set to join hands with director Sanjana Reddy for a sports biopic based on the life of 2000 Sydney Olympics bronze medallist weightlifter Karnam Malleswari. The trilingual, which is planned to be shot simultaneously in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi, will go on floors in the second half of this year.

According to a source, Sanjana has been working on the biopic for over three years now and extensive research has gone into it. She interacted with Malleswari on numerous occasions before readying the final draft.

The makers are planning to rope in a known actor from Bollywood to reprise Malleswari's role. Born in Srikakulam district's Voosavanipeta, Malleswari is the first and only Indian woman weightlifter to win an Olympic medal. Incidentally, Sanjana Reddy, who made her directorial debut with Raj Tarun's Raju Gadu, also hails from Srikakulam district.

The film will be announced officially in the presence of Malleswari soon.