Vidya shared the first look on Twitter, where she is seen striking a pose in a bright red sari with a floral border, short cropped hair and a round bindi.
"Excitement is multiplying each day! Time to dig into the 'root' of the mathematical genius, 'Shakuntala Devi'. 'Filming Begins," she captioned the image.
"She was extraordinary, in every sense of the word! Know the story of the child prodigy and the human computer, 'Shakuntala Devi'," she captioned the motion image.
Set for a summer 2020 release, the film is to be directed by Anu Menon of "London, Paris, New York" and "Four More Shots Please!" fame, and produced by Vikram Malhotra-led Abundantia Entertainment.
Shakuntala's genius was first discovered at the age of 5, when she solved a math problem meant for 18-year-old students. Though she never received any formal education, her talent for numbers also earned her a place in the 1982 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.
Aside from her love for mathematics, she was an astrologer, cookbook author and a novelist. She travelled the world demonstrating her mathematical ideas at colleges, in theatres, on radio and on television. She also penned the book "The World Of Homosexuals".
The film on her is written by Menon along with Nayanika Mahtani, and the dialogues penned by Ishita Moitra.
( With inputs from IANS )