Tag Archives: Shakuntala Devi

Movie Review: Shakuntala Devi (2020)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Watch Shakuntala Devi on Amazon Prime

Director Anu Menon’s Shakuntala Devi — based on the life of the woman nicknamed “The Human Computer” — opens with a note: “Based on a true story as seen through the eyes of a daughter, Anupama Banerji.” Rather than organizing the narrative as a sequential depiction of the highlights of Shakuntala’s career, the most pertinent episodes of her life are woven into a story about the challenging relationships between mothers and daughters. Events in Shakuntala Devi jump between time periods and settings, the earliest being Shakuntala’s childhood in Bangalore in 1934 and the latest being London in 2001, when her daughter Anu threatened to file criminal charges against her over unfair business practices.

When Shakuntala was around five years old (played by Araina Nand), her family realized that she had a unique affinity for numbers, solving complicated equations entirely in her head despite having no education of any kind. (Scientists and Shakuntala herself were never able to fully explain how her arithmetic abilities worked.) Her father Bishaw (Prakash Belawadi) made little Shakuntala the poor family’s breadwinner, putting his pig-tailed daughter onstage to solve math problems submitted by audience members. Local shows around Bangalore turned into performances elsewhere in India, before Shakuntala finally moved to London on her own.

Though her anger at her father for depriving her of a normal childhood and education was always apparent, Shakuntala — played as an adult by Vidya Balan — harbored a simmering contempt for her mother (played by Ipshita Chakraborty Singh) for not standing up to Bishaw on her daughter’s behalf. That resentment drove Shakuntala to become rich and famous and informed her own style of parenting — and not necessarily for the better.

Anu was born from the marriage of Shakuntala and Paritosh Banerji (Jisshu Sengupta), a government employee in Calcutta. Their relationship developed after Shakuntala was already internationally acclaimed, having added a magician’s showmanship to her performances. She tried being a stay-at-home mom for a while, but soon the road beckoned. She took young Anu with her, assuming that a life of travel would make the girl into an independent explorer like her mother. That’s not how it worked out.

Being disappointed by men is a recurring theme in Shakuntala’s life. Whether it’s their frustration at not being “needed” by her or, as in the case of Paritosh, a refusal to give up his job and follow her on the road, her paramours’ commitment to traditional gender roles only hardened her resolve to break them. Yet the film is clear that Shakuntala shared equally in the blame for her failed romantic relationships. She never found a way to integrate her career and home life. She also hated to lose, which led to young Anu being used as a pawn in the war between her parents.

As Anu grows up, we see how Shakuntala’s stubbornness and inability to compromise impacted their relationship. Anu (Sanya Malhotra) turns out to be just as stubborn as her mother and is determined to be nothing like her, just as Shakuntala was determined not to be like her own mother. Through conflict — including the above mentioned criminal charges — Shakuntala and Anu come to some important realizations about accepting our loved ones for who they are and learning to see our parents as more than just our parents.

Malhotra has the challenge of playing Anu when she is a married woman, but also when she’s a young teenager living in London. As a teen, Malhotra’s performance risks being overshadowed by her unflattering (but authentic) early 1990s attire. She’s more effective as Anu grows up and is forced to truly reckon with her mother as an adult.

If the goal was to portray Shakuntala Devi’s best and worst qualities, they couldn’t have found a better performer than Balan to do so. Balan makes Shakuntala feel like someone you’d love to know but hate to live with. She’s also effectively portrays Shakuntala across multiple decades.

From the vantage point of 2020, the idea of going to watch someone solve equations on stage sounds quaint, but Balan imbues with her character with such charisma and flair that she successfully translates Shakuntala’s appeal for a contemporary audience.

Links

Streaming Video News: July 30, 2020

I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Amazon Prime with dozens of Indian films that have been added in the last few days, including today’s worldwide debut of the biopic Shakuntala Devi (also in 4K UHD), starring Vidya Balan. Other recently added 2020 releases include the Punjabi film Jaan To Pyara and the Malayalam movie Velikku Veluppankalam.

I also updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with yesterday’s release of the 2020 Telugu film Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya. The Netflix Original crime drama Raat Akeli Hai — starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte — debuts tomorrow.

Most of the movies in this list I posted earlier this week have been renewed and are not expiring from Netflix as planned. However, there are still seven Indian titles expiring from Netflix on August 1, with Chennai Express (which has good dance numbers) following on August 7. Scroll down to the “Expiring Soon” section of my Netflix page to see what’s on the way out.

Also releasing globally tomorrow on Hotstar is the Hindi comedy Lootcase, starring Kunal Khemu. You’ll need a subscription to watch it, but Dil Bechara is still available for free if you haven’t caught it yet.

[Disclaimer: all of my Amazon links include an affiliate tag, and I may earn a commission on purchases made via those links. Thanks for helping to support this website!]

Streaming Video News: May 15, 2020

Amazon’s announcement yesterday of a June 12 straight-to-streaming release for the Amitabh Bachchan-Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Gulabo Sitabo was just a teaser. Today, they announced a whole slate of Indian movies that will skip cinemas and release straight to Prime, including Vidya Balan’s biopic Shakuntala Devi. (Bollywood Hungama reports that Ludo and Jhund may soon follow suit.) Here’s the full list of Indian movies premiering on Amazon Prime, with release dates listed, if announced:

  • Ponmagal Vandhal (Tamil) — May 29
  • Gulabo Sitabo (Hindi) — June 12
  • Penguin (Telugu and Tamil) — June 19
  • Law (Kannada) — June 26
  • French Biryani (Kannada) — July 24
  • Soofiyum Sujathayum (Malayalam) — TBA
  • Shakuntala Devi (Hindi) — TBA

If you are not already a Prime subscriber, you can get a free 30-day trial with my affiliate link (earning me a commission in the process!). Here’s a link to my list of all the Indian films currently streaming on Amazon Prime.