Italian actress Monica Bellucci has shown her interest to be cast in the role of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Jagmohan Mundhra's film 'Sonia', if modalities of dates and financial aspects are worked out.

''She is in Canada shooting a movie. Discussions are in preliminary stage. She is interested, but modalities of dates and money need to be worked out. Monica has the script and the book.

Her agent is working out the details with the producer,'' Mundhra said.

''We are in talks with representatives of Monica for her playing Sonia, he said and added that he is quite clear about wanting an Italian actress to play the title role.

Rest of the cast will be chosen from actors of Indian origin based in US, UK and India. The time span of the story is from 1964-2004.

Sonia's decision to leave Italy for England where she went to learn English at a language school in Cambridge, her romance with a young man who turned out to be the son of a Prime Minister, her father's objections, the love story of Rajiv and Sonia culminating in her marriage and her shift to India in 1968 and other aspects would be taken up in the film, he said.

''I see my film as an intimate epic, a human story of love, because Sonia came to India for the love of a man and stayed for the love of its people. The film is based on a book whose rights have been properly and legally acquired,'' he said.

'Sonia' has been scripted by Farrukh Dhondi.

Earlier, actor Preity Zinta's name was suggested for the role.

''Resemblance is only one of the factors in selection of the lead. After conducting extensive makeup and costume tests and working out other details, a decision will be taken,'' Mundhra said.