Published 14:37 IST, July 15th 2020
'Shakuntala Devi' trailer: Vidya Balan's human computer makes us ask 'How do you do this?'
'Shakuntala Devi' is a roller-coaster ride with numbers as Vidya Balan takes us from childhood to adulthood of the Indian maths prodigy.
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Vidya Balan in and as Shakuntala Devi is here to stun you with her mathematical prowess in the trailer of one of the most anticipated films of 2020. The trailer of the film is like a roller-coaster ride into the making of the Indian prodigy who goes onto find herself in the book of Guinness World Records. A fine performance by the Dirty Picture star Vidya Balan whose command over the character is impressive right from the first frame.
The 2-minute 47-second trailer traces the math genius' childhood where on expressing her desire to go to school in a rural Indian setup, her father replies, “What will the school teach you, instead, you will end up teaching the school.” till adulthood where she finds herself explaining to a foreign official that she loves going on stage to see "people's face when they see a girl in chotis doing maths".
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With upbeat music in the background, the viewer can readily bounce along with Shakuntala Devi's journey with utmost interest. The trailer also goes onto show the struggles that the math genius faces in her personal life. Her daughter, played by Dangal actor Sanya Malhotra, accuses her of neglecting her amidst her claim to fame as a mathematics genius. This adds a dramatic tone in the otherwise funny, witty and intelligent setup.
The dialogues clearly are the icing on the cake as there are many moments in the trailer where the viewers have a good laugh. Vidya Balan ends the trailer by reaffirming the need for drama in life as she says, “We Indians are like that only. Drama or nothing.”. In retrospect, only Vidya, with her top-level act in Shakuntala Devi, can make us want to say "Yes" when she asks, "Taiyaar ho mere best friend maths se dosti karne ke liye? (Are you ready to befriend my best friend - 'maths'?)"
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Have a look at the trailer here:
Earlier in the day, Vidya also shared a new poster that showed her character’s evolution over the years - as she is seen with her bag and baggage and two plaits, a modern woman dressed in western clothes and a spectacled sari-clad woman a few decades later. The film, directed by Anu Menon, is scheduled to release on Amazon Prime Video on July 31. Actors Jisshu Sengupta and Amit Sadh will be seen in pivotal roles in the film.
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About Shakuntala Devi
Shakuntala Devi will tell the story of the mathematics genius who was known to be witty and eccentric. Popularly known as 'The Human Computer', she lived life on her own terms. She earned her a place in the 1982 edition of The Guinness Book of World Records. She is survived by her daughter, Anupama Banerjee.
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14:37 IST, July 15th 2020