Shakuntala Devi

I watched this movie in 4-5 sittings because it was literally impossible to stand the terrible scriptwriting. While the movie presented a compelling case of inherited family trauma, claustrophobic/selfish motherly love as well as new performances of femininity, I was let down by the Bollywood masala that was added to the film. Vidya Balan is once again typecast as the bubbly, cheerful "20-year old" (seriously Bollywood?) who grows into a problematic, rather self-centered woman who is unable to maintain her relationships. While the dialogues are rather cheesy, the movie itself fails to impact. Of course, Bollywood portrays the family life of a world-famous, Guinness Record-owning female mathematician in greater detail than her actual research (read: The Man Who Knew Infinity) which falls flat on its face. A sincere request to Bollywood to stop hypersexualizing women of intellect: these women literally fought AGAINST normative representations of female ambition and desire. Such simplistic representations of brilliant women fail continue to propagate a patriarchal understanding of their successes and failures. Loved Sanya Malhotra's role, and it was also interesting to see Shakuntala Devi through her daughter's lens.

This movie shouldn't be seen simply or only for Shakuntala Devi's achievements, struggles and her research but also for her family life and personal struggles in life. In the case of the solid acting by every one in the cast, Vidya Balan and Sanya Malhotra has so much potential to do so much more with their acting skills. This movie was about the motherhood of a successful and famous mother. She was a great mathematician and also a great mother.