Vidya Balan to play Shakuntala Devi in Biopic!

Actress Vidya Balan is all set to play Shakuntala Devi in her biopic. Directed by Anu Menon and produced by Vikram Malhotra, this movie on the human computer is set to release in the summer of 2020.

Vidya Balan had earlier worked with Vikram Malhotra in the 2012 film Kahaani. The dialogue will be written by Ishita Moitra, whereas the screenplay is written by Menon and Nayanika Mahtani.

“I am extremely excited to play the human computer, Shakuntala Devi, on the big screen. She was truly someone who embraced her individuality, had a strong feminist voice and braved many a naysayer to reach the pinnacle of success,” Vidya said in a statement.

She had later added that what fascinates her most about Shakuntala Devi is that she turned the perception of math people not being fun on its head.

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“The Math Genius, The Human Computer, was a small-town Indian girl, who took the world by storm," Vidya Balan added.

Vidya Balan to play Shakuntala Devi in Biopic

Shakuntala Devi was one of India’s finest mathematicians ever. She was able to multiply and add 13 digit numbers in her head. Furthermore she was able to remove the cube root of various large numbers in her mind. She never really used a calculator for any calculations. This mathematical wizard was able to do very complex calculations in her head.

Despite not receiving any formal education, she has managed to get her name written in the 1982 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

At the age of 5, she was able to astound people by solving math problems for 18 year olds.

In fact, in 1990 she was able to surprise everyone at the Imperial College of London. Shakuntala Devi was able to correctly multiply two, 13 digit numbers in the time frame of only 28 seconds. This time included the time taken to say 26 digit answers out loud.

Apart from being a splendid mathematician, she was one of the first people in India to fight for the rights of gay people. She also authored the book – The world of homosexuals. She had discovered that her husband was gay. After that, she interviewed people to understand the life of a homosexual. She then compiled her learning and thoughts into a book.

When people questioned her book  on homosexuality she had simply said, “My only qualification for writing this book is that I am a human being”

Apart from this she has written several books on mathematics and on astrology. This movie on the super inspirational Shakuntala Devi is surely going to increase the respect people have for her.

Read Also: Not Trying To Be Superwoman Anymore: Vidya Balan

Kavya Shah is an intern at SheThePeople.TV