Complex Personal ‘Equations’. Review on Shakuntala Devi

Shakuntala Devi(film) showcases the journey of the legend from a child ‘arithmetic’ prodigy to the Human Computer, and its impact on her ‘Human side’ vis-à-vis different relationships(personal+ professional). The narrative is high on entertainment and emotional content which keeps you engaged, no doubt.

However, stronger insights on how the lady as a ‘kid’ fell in love with the subject, her valuable efforts in ‘simplifying’ math for students, scaling-up her skills to acquire expertise in other areas, etc. would have made the story more inspirational esp. from a lockdown perspective. Further, one of her most popular ‘researches on homosexuality’ deserved more than just a ‘passing’ reference.

Vidya Balan like a live-wire as usual justice to being the protagonist, and carries the film on her shoulders. Her charismatic aura and strong screen presence don’t let your eyes blink. It’s just that certain portions appear to have a mild spill-over of ‘Silk’ and ‘Sullu’, where perhaps a bit of under-play could have helped(since Shakuntala Devi is a legend). Sania Malhotra as Anu competes well, with the right body language and emotions. The conversations between Sanya and Vidya are well handled. The child artists who play mother and daughter are brilliant. Sheeba Chaddha does well. The male characters Prakash Belawadi, Luca Calvani, Jisshu Sengupta, Amit Sadh play on the back-foot in the film and provide adequate support.

Overall, a decent one-time watch film with the performances and emotional quotient over-powering the screenplay