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| Shakuntala Devi movie review: Vidya Balan brings vibrancy to her portrayal of the world famous mathematician. |
Shakuntala Devi
Director – Anu Menon
Cast – Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra, Amit Sadh, Jisshu Sengupta
Now streaming on https://www.primevideo.com/
When you have Vidhya Balan then one thing is sure, her presence will bring a charm to the movie and this time too she doesn’t fail. In fact, the whole cast was brilliant in acting terms. The film is about Maths (though not seen much) so I tried to describe it by numbers.
The movie starts with a young girl, who is capable to solve complex maths problem within seconds and doing multiplications with numbers greater than her age. She is not given schooling as a normal kid as her father believes no schools can teach this little genius.
After she shoots a lover who attempts to trick her, she is sent to the UK where her first love maths by and by acts the hero. A Spanish man named Javier shows her English and the lifestyle in Europe, as she discovers acclaim as the ‘Human Computer’, in the long run working her way into the Guinness Book of World Records. She weds an IAS official named Paritosh (Jisshu Sengupta) however she neglects to discover a harmony among maths and parenthood. Her touchy relationship with little girl Anu (Sanya Malhotra), who needs a ‘typical’ life, shapes the primary clash in the film.
‘Why can’t you be like normal mothers?’ Her daughter asks her, and she simply says,‘Why be normal when you can be amazing?’
It’s a weight, now and then, to be identified with somebody who is staggeringly gifted. We love it when they win awards and their photos are sprinkled in the papers. Be that as it may, is it enough for you just to be the little girl, spouse, child of somebody who is viewed as a virtuoso… Is it enough for you when you remain in the wings to praise? How would you coordinate to their guidelines? Do they consider less you since you don’t have similar capacities? Shakuntala Devi misses Mathematics when she wears different caps. At the point when she plays the sweetheart, the housewife, and when she plays the caring mother… If you have surrendered energy to assume the job you are presently playing in your life, this film will impact you.
The first half was less engaging. The jokes were unnecessary, songs are below average. The voids created by the first half was somehow filled in the other half. The writing of this film was shaky, sometimes top-notch and sometimes low. One good thing as a biopic is that it doesn’t shy to show the harsh face of the protagonist which many films fail in order to glorify their achievements.
Considering the performances, Vidya Balan is extremely brilliant who sinks into the character just like her own skin. I can imagine no one in Bollywood who could have pulled off such a character with wits and charm like Vidya has done. Sanya Malhotra is fantastic as the daughter and has done great justice to her role. Amit Sadh and Jishu Sengupta have limited screen space but have not disappointed.
This film is watchable and you can enjoy with your family. But it could have been shaped much better with the motivational elements and less use of so-called Bollywood drama and songs. Vidhya is the one who shines throughout and probably saved the film.
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