Mehra, 48, said that the film will be shot majorly in India quashing reports that he is scouting for locations in Pakistan.

"I am not shooting my film in Lahore. I have not issued any such statement. I will shoot the film majorly in Punjab and after that I will move to Delhi, Tokyo, Melbourne and Rome. I have almost collected all the details and will start shooting in February," said Mehra.

Best known for writing and directing the Aamir Khan starrer 'Rang De Basanti', the filmmaker' keen interest in sports has made him take up this project on the life of The Flying Sikh.

"I am a sportsman myself and have always looked upto Milkha Singh. I heard a lot of stories about him. Being born and brought up in Delhi, I used to visit National Stadium regularly.

"My heart beats for the sports of my country and I always wanted India to do well in the Olympics but unfortunately we haven't. So, this is my way of paying homage to the sports of the country. I feel very strongly about the real role models in the society and Milkha Singh is one of them," he said.

Mehra has roped in director-turned-actor Farhan Akhtar to play the titular character in the film.