It is not often that we have biopics made on women, especially Indian women. Yes, there have been a few but the focus is either on the historical figures, high achievers or those who have lost it all. We either celebrate their life or feel sorry for their suffering. But Shakuntala Devi, the biopic based on the life of the Human-computer mathematical genius makes an attempt to move away from those narratives. We get a sneak peek into a woman who was anything but typical and normal. And this is not just about her genius mind!
The story is told by a daughter about her mother. Anupama aka Anu takes us through the life of her famous mother Shakuntala Devi aka Devi. And in the process, she shares with the audience the journey of the woman behind the genius. The movie focusses on the relationships of Devi, her grievances with her mother, her disgust for her father, her desperate attempts to find love and most importantly her tumultuous equation with her daughter.
The Actors:
Vidya Balan is the perfect choice for the role of Shakuntala Devi and she makes the mathematical genius come alive on screen. She gives us Devi's humour and quirkiness along with her frailties and flaws. She is a perfect ten!
Sanya Malhotra as Anupama does a wonderful job. It is not easy being the child of a famous person, and she manages to convey the frustration convincingly. There a couple of scenes that she really stands out and makes quite an impact.
When the movie is about a mother and daughter, the men are usually left in the background. But Jisshu U Sengupta and Amit Sadh manage to sneak into our minds. They play the almost perfect husbands perfectly!
The Creators:
What makes the team behind this movie interesting is that most of them are women. Directed by Anu Menon, the film is written by her and Nayanika Mahtani. Maybe that is one of the reasons, why it felt that there should have been something more to the story. yes, the movie is from the daughter's point of view and there is only so much a daughter would know about her mother, but it felt that the writing was a bit safe. Wish the writers had researched a bit more about the life of the genius and given us more to bite into. Especially when you have someone like Vidya taking on the role. But that said, this is indeed a commendable effort.
The music of the film echoes with the quirkiness of the leading lady as well as matches with the mood and tone of the film. Sachin-Jigar have composed some fun melodies. Karan Kulkarni's background score is over the top sometimes, but give the way the whole film is presented, it seems justified. Keiko Nakahara creates a vintage feel with the camera, it is warm and soothing.
Though not a perfect ten, Shakuntala Devi is enjoyable thanks to Vidya Balan. It is indeed refreshing to see a real woman with all her flaws; a complete departure from the typical all-sacrificing god-like mothers we are used to seeing in our movies!
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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