Indian actress Celina Vikram Jaitly returns to film as Sister Nibedita, Swami Vivekananda’s Irish disciple, in director Ram Kamal Mukherjee’s upcoming biographical drama, after the two last collaborated on their film “Season’s Greetings.”

Jaitly built his career in Bollywood from his success in 2003 with “Janasheen,” followed by hits like “No Entry” in 2005, “Golmaal Returns” in 2008 and “Thank You” in 2011.

“Sister Nibedita” is produced by Aritra Das Creation in association with Assorted Motion Pictures. It will follow the life of Sister Nibedita, also known as Nivedita, born in Ireland as Margaret Elizabeth Noble, who left her homeland to make India her spiritual home and dedicated herself to social reform, women’s empowerment, education and nation-building.

Vivekananda was a Hindu monk who brought the philosophy of Vedanta to the West, most notably in a landmark speech in 1893 at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, and remains one of the most influential religious figures in modern Indian history. His guru, Ramakrishna, was a 19th-century mystic and spiritual teacher in Bengal whose teachings on the unity underlying all religions shaped the worldview that Vivekananda would spread globally.

The drama will follow Nibedita’s evolution from a young Irish educator to a champion of India’s cultural and spiritual awakening, set during a period of radical change in the country. It will also examine his relationship with Swami Vivekananda and his role in forming a national consciousness during that era.

Mukherjee reunites with musical duo Sourendra-Soumyajit, who earlier composed the music for his “Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan”, his latest feature film. The script of “Sister Nibedita” is written by Ipsita Acharya. The filmmakers are still finalizing the rest of the cast and creative team.

“A topic like ‘Sister Nibedita’ was waiting to be told. I always felt that Celina would be the right choice for Margaret. While making Binodiini, I was reading books on Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. It was then that I came across the wonderful journey of Sister Nibedita. I revisited her story and decided to make a film. I am glad to have Celina as my main protagonist, who would understand the pain and passion of a woman’s self-sacrifice,” Mukherjee he said.

“There are journeys that an actor chooses, and then there are journeys that somehow choose the actor. Last time I had the privilege of collaborating with filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee on ‘Season’s Greetings’. I never imagined that after almost four years our paths would cross over a story of such deep spiritual significance. As a child, I wandered the quiet grounds of Sister Nibedita’s final home in Darjeeling, never knowing that one day I would be entrusted with the task of bringing the extraordinary life of Margaret Noble to audiences around the world. With the blessings of Swami Vivekananda and the Ramakrishna Mission, I make a sacred vow to give every ounce of my heart and soul to portray Sister Nibedita,” added Jaitly.

“‘Sister Nibedita’ is a dream project. After ‘Binodiini’ we wanted to make ‘Sister Nibedita’. Celina Vikram Jaitly flew from Austria when our director Ram Kamal wanted to see the final look. We were surprised to see the transformation,” said producer Aritra Das.

The project will be unveiled on July 4, marking the 124th death anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

The “Sister Nibedita” team plans an international production, shooting in Mumbai, Kolkata and Ireland to capture the settings that shaped Nibedita’s life.