Shakuntala Devi (2020) [Movie Review]

 Dir: Anu Menon

Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra

Dur: 2 hrs 7 mins

Genre: Biography

Rating: 9/10

I don’t know if you had heard about Shakuntala Devi. She is a national treasure. She was known as the ‘human computer’ and could calculate faster than the computer of those days! She travelled the world displaying her talent and in the bargain earned great fame and respect not only for herself but for the nation. She died in 2013. Her real story differs quite a bit from the film story but the essentials are depicted.  

Shakuntala came from very humble beginnings but was blessed with prodigious math skill. Even without formal training she was able to compute in her head. Once discovered, her father nurtured her skill and used it to add to the family income by taking her to perform at shows and other events. To cut a long story short, Shakuntala goes on to become world-famous and even held a Guinneas World Record for mental arithmetic after successfully calculating the product of two 13 digit numbers in 28 seconds! The film however, makes mention of all these achievements but only in passing. The focus of the film is not on Shakuntala the math whiz but on Shakuntala, the woman and mother.

I’m not sure of the film’s inspiration but it is seemingly told from the daughter’s perspective. Shakuntala had a daughter, Anupama with her husband, Paritosh whom she later divorces. The film has dramatized nearly every relationship from start to end and has typically glossed it with emotion and song. How much is real and how much is fiction is left to each one’s imagination. This much is certain, the story is very relatable. It carries beautiful messages about life, family, relationships and kinship. Vidya and Sanya deliver stellar performances and see the film through.

Shakuntala Devi is a great film to watch as a family. It is an ideal family entertainer during the present scenario. Even otherwise, it is a great film that needs to be discussed and reflected over since it deals with important issues that are perennially relevant.

Trailer: Official Trailer

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