Plot
The
film
begins
with
Anupama
Banerji
(Sanya
Malhotra),
dressed
in
a
pristine
white
shirt
and
hair
tied
in
a
bun,
gearing
up
to
file
a
criminal
case
against
her
mother,
the
'great'
Shakuntala
Devi
(Vidya
Balan).
In
a
montage-of-sorts,
we
are
introduced
to
a
young
Shakuntala
Devi
(Araina
Nand)
solving
complex
equations
for
a
block
of
Mysore
pak.
When
her
father
(Prakash
Belawade)
realizes
that
his
daughter
is
'not
an
ordinary
girl
but
a
genius',
he
starts
taking
her
out
to
do
math
shows.
Even
at
a
young
age,
Shakuntala
is
a
fierce
feminist
who
aspires
to
become
a
'badi
aurat'
in
life.
At
the
same
time,
she
grows
up
to
despise
both
her
parents,
especially
her
mother
for
being
docile
to
her
husband.
In
the
next
chapter,
a
sari-clad
Shakuntala
Devi
with
two
dangling
plaits
returns
back
to
her
first
love-
maths
in
London,
when
her
love
interest
tries
to
fool
her.
There,
she
bumps
into
a
Spanish
man
named
Jamier
who
gives
her
a
makeover
and
teaches
her
English.
Our
'Rani
Hindustani'
soon
finds
fame
as
the
'human
computer',
and
eventually
makes
her
way
into
the
Guinness
Book
of
World
Records
for
her
astonishing
math
skills.
But
ouch,
hearts
are
broken
one
more
time
when
Jamier
decides
to
return
back
to
Spain.
While
parting,
when
he
tells
Shakuntala
that
she
doesn't
need
him
anymore,
the
lady
shoots
back,
"Why
do
men
always
want
women
to
need
them?" With
numbers
as
her
constant
companion,
Shakuntala
continues
her
journey.
She
finally
finds
her
'Dushyant'
in
the
form
of
an
IAS
officer
named
Paritosh
(Jishhu
Sengupta)
and
marries
him.
But
soon,
Shakuntala
Devi
finds
herself
struggling
to
strike
a
balance
between
maths
and
motherhood.
This
time,
will
the
number-crunching
genius
succeed
in
solving
the
equation
of
life?
Direction
Since
Shakuntala
Devi's
life
as
a
celebrated
mathematician
is
out
there
in
public
domain,
director
Anu
Menon
chooses
to
focus
her
lens
on
Devi's
flawed
relationships
with
her
loved
ones
instead.
The
first
half
of
the
film
is
breezy,
while
emotions
run
half
in
the
latter
portion.
Menon
explores
the
messy
mother-daughter
equation
in
a
heartfelt
way.
Talking
about
the
hiccups,
the
writing
wobbles
at
a
few
places.
Also,
the
non-linear
narrative
is
a
big
turn-off,
before
you
get
slowly
accustomed
to
it.
Performances
Vidya
Balan
pulls
off
an
electrifying
act
as
Shakuntala
Devi.
One
can
see
that
the
actress
had
a
ball
of
time
while
playing
a
woman
who
lived
and
loved
unapologetically,
and
that
fluidity
translates
on
the
screen
as
well.
Vidya
is
an
absolute
cracker
each
time
she
slips
into
the
witty
side
of
Shakuntala
Devi.
Similarly,
she
also
moves
you
to
tears
in
the
emotional
scenes.
Sanya
Malhotra
is
compelling,
and
her
chemistry
with
Vidya
makes
for
an
interesting
watch.
The
young
girl
portrays
her
character's
anguish
and
helplessness
effectively.
Amit
Sadh
and
Jisshu
Sengupta
play
their
parts
with
sincerity.
Technical
Aspects
Keiko
Nakahara's
visual
palette
is
vibrant
and
celebratory.
It
adapts
well
with
mood
and
tone
of
the
story-telling.
Antara
Lahiri's
editing
scissors
could
have
been
a
little
more
sharper
to
define
a
few
few
rough
edges.
Music
Benny
Dayal
and
Monali
Thakur's
'Jhilmil
Piya'
is
the
only
track
which
manages
to
impress.
The
rest
of
the
songs
are
passable.
Verdict
Shakuntala
Devi
is
a
film
which
inspires
you
to
embrace
your
imperfections
and
celebrate
them.
It
also
makes
you
realize
that
there's
a
lot
more
to
a
woman
than
being
just
a
mother.
Take
a
closer
look;
there's
a
'genius'
as
well!
In
one
of
the
scenes,
Vidya
Balan's
Shakuntala
Devi
tells
her
daughter,
"Jab
amazing
ban
sakti
hoon
toh
normal
kyun
banungi?"
The
actress
and
the
film
stay
true
to
these
words!
Vidya-kasam.