Tags
2020, Ajay, Amazon, Amit Sadat, Anupama Banerjee, Jishu Sengupta, Movie Review, OTT, Paritosh, Premiere, Prime, Sanya Malhotra, Shakuntala Devi, Vidya Balan
Even though I have read a lot of puzzle books written by Shakuntala Devi for aptitude preparations during my school and college days, I never had tried to understand or even search for who this person was. Shakuntala Devi is the biopic movie about the same human computer and has started streaming on Amazon Prime from 31-Jul-2020. This movie will definitely shed some light into her life.
It was the 1930’s, and the location was Bangalore. Srinivas was learning Mathematics and Shakuntala was playing side by side. Then suddenly she tells the answer for the mathematical problem he is trying to solve. He takes this incident to their parents and they think it to be fluke. But when they gave it a try they were overwhelmed. Immediately their father decides to make use of her capability and starts events to showcase her talents. But her ambition to visit school for learning was overturned to visit school for performances. In course of time she becomes the sole breadwinner of the family. One day while returning from the show she sees her paralyzed sister to be dead. Nobody has taken her to hospital and for this none in the family deserves any forgiveness. She has decided to traverse the path paved and built for herself.
The movie is all about Vidya Balan,because Shakuntala’s life is all about herself. As usual Vidya Balan has done a splendid job but her performance is competed by Sanya Malhotra as her emotionally struggling daughter Anupama Banerjee who could not perceive the childhood she wished for. I am seeing a movie of Sanya Malhotra for the first time after her blockbuster debut Dangal. Jishu Sengupta as Paritosh (Shakuntala’s husband) and Amit Sadat as her son in law Ajay have given perfect support to the movie.
Shakuntala was ambitious who was never confined to a place bound by the shackles of relations. She never had roots but had legs and wings to walk and fly where she wished. I would call her outspoken and that is really required to lead a life for yourself. Also it is the rule of nature we can see in most of the animals. The complication in relationships are coming due to force fitting that behavioral character into a human invented societal principles. I never knew that she had political ambitions, there was a shot which showed her political campaign on TV. When further analysed came to know that she stood in elections as an independent candidate that too against Indira Gandhi.
During her childhood when her sister told her that you would become Bada Aadmi (Big Man) when you grow her reply was why not Bada Aurat (Big Woman). This a question against the patriarchal society. One biggest question I had at the end is we always question and call out the mistakes of our parents but have we ever sat back and thought about the mistakes we are making? With change in time the mistakes do change but we fail to realize it is blocked by our prejudiced thoughts.
The Background score of the movie was okay and not a great one. Songs were not needed and the addition of masala in the portrayal was something which could have been avoided. The movie missed to convey certain elements especially towards the end of the movie, not revealing it as it could serve as a spoiler. A note please watch till credits because you get a chance to gaze through Shakuntala’s personal albums with mapping to the characters portrayed. I go ahead with the rating of 3 out of 5 stars (One time watch – Average) for the story of the human computer.
Rajeev is Reacting 