Ang Lee is busy finalizing the cast of his much awaited 'Life of Pi'. He was recently in Mumbai, India, looking to cast some Indian actors for the movie, which is an adaptation of Yann Martel's bestselling novel.

While the lead role has already gone to Suraj Sharma, a 17-year-old Delhi-based newcomer, The Namesake actress, Tabu has been finalized to play Pi’s mother.

The Mumbai Mirror reports, Ang Lee had been watching Tabu's work and was very impressed by her acting abilities.

The director has, however, still not decided on the role of the father. Actors Sushant Singh and Sonu Sood are reportedly being considered for the role.

The film was stalled for a long time due to budget constraints. It is now all set to sail after Fox 2000 decided to fund the $50 million feature.

The film will be shot in 3D. It's expensive to shoot in 3D. I know it's a great burden on me, but the story kept haunting me, and 3-D was the way for me to crack the book, Lee told USA Today.

The script will be written by David Magee, who wrote the screenplay for the Johnny Depp-starrer 'Finding Neverland'.

The novel 'Life of Pi' is the story of a 227 day journey of a zoo-keeper’s son in a boat after a shipwreck, accompanied by varied animals including a Bengal tiger. Production is slated to begin in January and the film will be shot in India and Taiwan.

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