The first look of Vidya Balan’s upcoming film, Shakuntala Devi, has been released. Balan portrays the role of the human-computer. 

Shakuntala Devi is written and directed by Anu Menon along with Nyanika Mahtani, as reported by India Today. The director has also released a teaser of the film.

The story is based on the life of mathematician Shakuntala Devi. Born on November 4, 1929, Devi was known for being a math wizard and for her incredible calculation skills. She was said to be the equivalent of the human-computer. Her genius was discovered at the age of five when she was able to solve a math problem which was meant for 18-year old students. Devi never received any type of formal education, but her talent for math and numbers helped her earn a place in the 1982 edition of the Guinness Book Of World Records. 

Along with being a mathematician, Devi was an astrologer, cookbook author, and a novelist. She is the author of many books especially the world-famous Figuring: the Joy of Numbers, where she has shared some of the methods of mental calculations. She spent most of her time travelling around the world and demonstrating her own math ideas in colleges, on radio and television. 

Earlier Balan had spoken about playing the role of the genius in the biopic. She said in a statement: “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. But what truly fascinates me is that you wouldn’t normally associate a fun person with Math…and she completely turns that perception on its head.”

The film is slated to release in the summer of 2020. 

(Image courtesy- Vedicmathsindia.org, The New York Times )