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Shakuntala Devi Movie Review

Discussion in 'Movies' started by sarvantaryamini, Aug 4, 2020.

  1. sarvantaryamini

    sarvantaryamini Gold IL'ite

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    Yesterday I watched the movie in which Vidya Balan plays Shakuntala Devi. When I watched the trailer, I was actually annoyed, because I felt they made her look like a cartoon. However, the movie itself was not that bad. There were other reasons why I was disappointed with the movie. I don't think they stuck to factual details but showed whatever they felt was eye-catching about her life. I also don't know why they picturized her as a cold, insensitive and money-minded b****. From what I read about her on the net, she looks like a very strong, talented, gifted and logical woman. She may or may not have been money-minded, but considering her background, it would not be surprising if she was conservative about money. I don't understand why they made the movie with such a bias.
     
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  2. MalStrom

    MalStrom IL Hall of Fame

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    I have not seen the movie, but my family and I met Shakuntala Devi at one of her performances almost 40 years ago. My parents hosted her for a large dinner at our home and they later remarked admiringly that she appeared to be an astute businesswoman. Good for her.
     
  3. netflx

    netflx Gold IL'ite

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    This is by Shakuntala's daughter Anupama:
    "after watching the film, I was speechless. It was surreal… Vidya went above and beyond – not just the dialogues, even the attitude and expressions. She got into the spirit of mummy…

    She was mummy in the film,” Anupama gushes.


    When your mom is a genius: Anupama Banerji intv with TNM on Shakuntala Devi

    When TNM spoke to her, a few days prior to the release of Shakuntala Devi, Anupama said she was a bit nervous that a depiction of her relationship with her mother will be out for the world to see. But she was also excited. “I miss everything about her. All the things we did, the hours we talked. But the world will see that she was not just a human computer. She was a woman, and a mother too. She was affectionate, loving and caring, and gave me the best that she could.”
     
  4. sarvantaryamini

    sarvantaryamini Gold IL'ite

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    If you see the movie you will probably get what I meant.
     
  5. sarvantaryamini

    sarvantaryamini Gold IL'ite

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    Not surprising at all. When one comes from an economically poor background and forced to work hard from a very young age, they will be very tight fisted about money and even a bit eccentric, slightly sadist as well. But somewhere they will have some integrity. In this movie, the way they have shown her. I wasn't very pleased. Even personalities like Steve jobs, Gates have a negative side to them, but they have been shown in an unbiased manner, somehow this movie, they just shoved some things under the carpet.
     
  6. KashmirFlower

    KashmirFlower IL Hall of Fame

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    I watched the movie , what I understood From the movie is she married, wanted to live with H, but she wanted to do her Shows and she can’t leave maths, so she Wanted h to accompany her, which he didn’t do. She went ahead still. but she missed daughter, also she Behaved she owns her daughter and wants to have daughter and son in law with her. Not that abnormal wish.
    Like any woman, she wanted h and daughter to be with her, she being strong , and rich , she went more than what normally others do to keep them with her.

    I didn’t feel she was insensitive or cold. That is vidyas way of portraying a character, everybody understands differently.

    I was wondering how many woman in those days even have any talent stand in front of 100s of men and make jokes and laughing and make her day happy for herself.

    1) Life is cycle, it just repeats,
    2) she is not a mother, she is a woman too,
     
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2020
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  7. sarvantaryamini

    sarvantaryamini Gold IL'ite

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    That is where I lost interest in the movie. Why not tell the truth? They added some unnecessary masala at the beginning and left the actual stuff. She went out of her way to research on homosexuality and wrote a book on it. Why? Just to make money? She was already famous as a mathematician. Why does she need publicity out of a totally different topic? They didn't bring that out at all. Which woman will just leave her family and go for career? Did it occur to these guys that she might have tried to forget her sorrow by immersing herself in her career? Why didn't they explore that aspect? A bold, strong, independent woman is one who has a couple of pre-marital affairs, or an EMA, not one who finds out her spouse has a problem and tries to support and accept that problem instead of seeking revenge or try to drown herself in an ocean of sorrow? So disappointing. I don't accept that she made a casual and wild allegation. Just doesn't make any sense to me in this case.
     
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2020
  8. netflx

    netflx Gold IL'ite

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    @sarvantaryamini Unless we know intimately about her life, how do we conclude the movie did go mostly with facts or not? Her daughter (who presumably knows her life better than any of us), claims the movie is reasonably 'real' reflection of her mothers life/personality.

     
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  9. Angela123

    Angela123 Gold IL'ite

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    This is just one aspect of it. Not all women are made the same. There are many women who chose not to be live in the traditional way. Sometimes movies are based on real people, and the story is fictious. They add a lot of scenarios to make it look interesting and add snippets from other people's life too. only the main thread will be the protagonist's story.
     
  10. sarvantaryamini

    sarvantaryamini Gold IL'ite

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    Her daughter seems to be her daddy's pet. Movie seems to be totally her account of Shakuntala devi's life. Our bold and beautiful Bollywood will choose controversies as per their convenience.
     

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