The Breakdown at the Movies: Shakuntala Devi

Shakuntala Devi

Who wants normal when they can have genius…

It is the norm to hear the story of a celebrity from their perspective or a collection of their diaries, works, etc. Their story told from the experiences of their children is rare… hello “Mommie Dearest”, goodbye inheritance. As we advocate for women in STEM, seeing a mother’s success through a daughter’s perspective is important to grasp the full weight of that person’s existence and learn from their overlooked missteps.

The daughter of math genius Shakuntala Devi has a lot to say about her “Human Computer” mother in the film Shakuntala Devi (2020 Amazon Prime). The movie cycles between cheerful and tumultuous feelings, numerous time points in Shakuntala Devi’s and Anupama Banerji’s (Anu) lives spanning over nearly 7 decades and diverse continents (Asia, Europe and North America). But, the mother-daughter conflict invites us to the normalcy of genius.

‘Ma is the first word we speak… godlike and synonymous with sacrifice.’ -Anu

Before Shakuntala Devi becomes a mother, she travels throughout Bangalore in the mid-1930’s with her father performing her math genius for money. Instead of attending school as a regular student with chotis (Indian braids), she amazes students with her ability to complete complex calculations quickly (Figure 1). On her rise from a 5-year-old prodigy to a “big woman”, she grows resentful of taking the role of the household “father” and her mother’s submissiveness. Devi leaves India for the UK in 1955 due to a pernicious conflux of a hunting rifle, a beau’s ear, and an unconventional independent woman.

Figure 1: A young Shakuntala Devi displaying her chotis and mathematical genius at a school in India.

Overcoming but still facing gender and cultural discrimination, she earns a living from her math performances in London. When Devi is perplexed about society’s insistence that women need men, she is fortunate to be supported by the wisdom of her landlady who tells her that men are scared of a woman who “follows her heart and laughs with abandon”. Shakuntala finds her stride living her best single (genius) girl life with a mix of her survival skills and help from a Spanish friend. Pretty soon her mathematics entertainment is taken to the “next level” (like a $cientist).

‘every mother hopes that her daughter won’t see her as a mother but also as a genius sometimes.’ - Shakuntala Devi

Throughout the 70’s and 80’s Devi struggles in choosing between a settled down “mom life” and a jet-setting math genius life. Her scrapbook of achievements- including her spot in the Guinness World Records for calculating faster than a computer- keep her wanting the single mom math life. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s her daughter, Anu, grows resentful in having to choose between wanting a “normal” mom and a motherless life- not having a child nor a relationship with Shakuntala. This leaves her to develop the same hostility, hate and hurt that Devi had for her mother. By now it’s the millennium and there are lawsuits, real estate ventures, and a grandkid. After a lot of screaming and crying (which I absolutely loathe in movies and in real life), mother and daughter see each other as women. And maybe a little bit of genius.

Figure 4: Shakuntala Devi in a fantabulous sari and updo teaching her calculation method to a classroom of girls.

Bottom Line:

This isn’t Christina Crawford’s last word against mummy Joan. It is worth the watch because it provides a glimpse into the life of a mathematical genius that diverges from a typical autobiography. The acting isn’t penetrating, but the story is entertaining as is the fantabulous sari’s Devi wears.