If Shakuntala Devi remains significant despite this, it is because it is so unusual for a Hindi film to question prevalent notions that all women are naturally inclined to subsume themselves in maternity. First, because it then shifts too far away from Shakuntala. This contradiction is a captivating approach, but there’s a thin line between paying homage to the vibrancy of a personality and being an over-the-top cliché. There's just nothing new about it, feels Sukanya Verma. Shakuntala Devi Movie Review: Star Performance A tailor-made role for Vidya Balan and something that only she can pull-off. Shakuntala Devi lives like she laughs. Subscription. Shakuntala Devi had a famously high octane personality — full of laughter, quirk, impudence and wit. Shakuntala Devi film review: A Vidya Balan show Vidya Balan owns the material that she is given, course-correcting every time she tends to slip into being mannered. The purpose of this cartoon-like visual aid is to make numbers look attractive, much in sync with Devi’s lifelong efforts. Devi’s relationship with her husband, Paritosh Banerji (Jisshu Sengupta), on the other hand, is rushed and his sexuality is only used fleetingly in parts as instances that agitate Anupama. Want to see Edit. Directer: Anu Menon. Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. When their ties are strained, the film does not judge him — it allows the anger to come entirely from her — and the proceedings flow in a convincing fashion. Your support for our journalism is invaluable. Shakuntala Devi's writers seem conflicted in their approach to a woman who was not made for domesticity and awkward about homosexuality. Vidya Balan in a still from Shakuntala Devi. Shakuntala Devi's visuals are determinedly bright and cheery despite its difficult subject. There is nothing non-feminist about depicting a flawed woman as a flawed woman, but it is certainly worth noting that in a country where the achievements of women are rarely chronicled, this one defines the late Guinness-record-holding, world-renowned mathematical phenomenon largely by her motherhood. Menon opts for an easy way out instead of doing the hard work of eliciting the same emotions through characterisation. Since watching writer-director Anu Menon's eponymous film on the late mathematical genius, I have pored over the Internet and discovered considerable material on her, ironically far more from abroad than her home country, India. The writers of Shakuntala Devi seem conflicted in their approach towards a woman who was not made for domesticity, and try as they might, they cannot balance their feminist aims with the information conveyed to them by a daughter who recalls her mother's failure to balance maths and motherhood. Special Arrangement. The supporting cast is fine. Her portrayal of the character's OTT mannerisms and behaviour feels somewhat studied but she more than compensates for that in her ruminative moments. Anu Menon’s biopic on the late mathematical genius takes the essence of her public persona to construct an upbeat, bright and loud tone for the film, while also revealing the not-so-positive and lesser-known aspects of her private life, using the same audio-visual aesthetic. As a subscriber, you are not only a beneficiary of our work but also its enabler. The film is also fairly critical of Devi as a mother and wife, which — contrary to its glossy and bright texture — is quite refreshing to see in a biopic, which can be an easy trap for glorification. The mother-daughter relationship is the focal point of the film, demonstrating how success and wealth may not guarantee a happy childhood, and how childhood memories are often adjusted, embellished and altered when we grow up. I can't say more for fear of giving away spoilers, but let us just say this episode made me wonder about all the other 'facts' as presented by Shakuntala Devi's daughter to the writers and whether a reliance on multiple sources would not have been better. She tilts her head back and unleashes a full-throated guffaw; hers is a belly laugh and it’s often heard in the 2-hour-10-minute biopic. Two people close to the production said the man had completed the course, after which he needed medical attention. Vidya Balan looks the part of Shakuntala Devi, but Menon (who earlier made London, Paris, New York and Waiting) and Mahtani come off as observers who never manage to enter her head. According to media reports, her interest in the subject stemmed from her marriage to a man who turned out to be gay. This innate traditionalism leads to the superficial treatment of the protagonist in the second half and, in the first half, of her relationship and break-up with the man who trained her for the stage in her early days in Europe. Balan, who has previously essayed real-life personalities like Silk Smitha, has the ability to smoothly transition between age and appearances, but even she can’t salvage a rather mawkish finale to the film. Shakuntala Devi is perhaps the most famous Indian about whom most Indians know so little. What is especially remarkable is that scenes of mathematical problem-solving are handled so cleverly by Menon, that far from being off-putting for those who don't care for numbers, they end up being lots of fun. Shakuntala Devi the film transports us to 1930s Bangalore where the 5-year-old, unschooled Shakuntala's ability to casually calculate complicated mathematical problems draws the attention of her father. Wrapped in the blanket of drama and overt feminism, this biopic is about a genius Indian Mathematician trying to strike a balance between her responsibility as a mother and her personal growth as a celebrity. And then there was this Submit review. Shakuntala Devi Latest Bollywood movie review 2020 of is a family entertainment movie pack with unlimited comedy and entertainment. Wipeout contestant passes away after completing obstacle course on game show, Soorarai Pottru, The Motorcycle Diaries, and a response to the truth-versus-fiction issue in biopics, Durgamati trailer: Bhumi Pednekar's prisoner turns into a ghost in horror film presented by Akshay Kumar. Rate And Review. Updated Date: This may be where the problem lies. The Hindu has always stood for journalism that is in the public interest. Shakuntala Devi is perhaps the most famous Indian about whom most Indians know so little. An audience watches a biopic not so much to witness a reenactment of what we already know about a public figure, but what happens when the curtains drop. In Shakuntala Devi, Vidya Balan steals the limelight as a mathematics wizard. While exploring the mother-daughter relationship, the film goes back and forth between the ’90s and previous decades, but towards the end, the structure gets tiresome. The supporting cast is solid. Home Reviews Shakuntala Devi Movie Review: A Perfect Family Entertainer July 30, 2020 Shakuntala Devi Movie Review: Amazon Prime Video original Vidya Balan stater Shakuntala Devi The Human-Computer is finally streaming on Amazon Prime Video India and here we are going to review the movie, we would also tall about the parent’s guide, rating, and many other things. Maybe she was, maybe she was not. To make numbers look scintillating, the film uses a visual element of flying digits on the screen. Shakuntala Devi Ratings & Reviews Explanation. Shakuntala Devi the film, however, relies on detailed conversations Menon and her co-writer Nayanika Mahtani had with the subject's daughter. It has helped us keep apace with events and happenings. I remember her well from my childhood, but only as a near-fixture in classified ads in the papers and because Dad said the sassy-looking woman in the picture was known as a "human computer". Vidya Balan and Sanya Malhotra in a still from Shakuntala Devi. This is done without characters 'doing accents' in a caricaturish fashion (Balan does acquire an accent for her role, but it is smoothly done) and by slipping in an occasional line here and there in English, but mostly by asking for a suspension of disbelief. Like the woman whose story it tells, Shakuntala Devi the film is complicated. Subscription. The film is intelligent in the way it fits Hindi into settings in Karnataka and abroad where Hindi would not have been the naturally spoken language. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. We also reiterate here the promise that our team of reporters, copy editors, fact-checkers, designers, and photographers will deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda. Bhumi Pednekar, Mahie Gill and Arshad Warsi get tangled in a nexus of royal mysteries and hidden crimes in the Durgamati trailer. That it is often amusing bodes well for an industry that still tends to hold the view that films revolving around women must perforce be weepies. August 02, 2020 15:15:15 IST. She also manages to look beautiful and remarkably like the person she is playing despite looking completely unlike her.