Her character is based on India's first woman in space, Kalpana Chawla. In order to prepare for the role, she has been watching a lot of documentaries and has even changed her hairstyle to look like the astronaut.
She was quoted as saying,'It is a very proud moment for me to play a lead in my first Hollywood film. The role was originally written for an African-American actress but when the makers saw my audition, they changed the script and took me on board'.