In her best roles, Vidya Balan has portrayed a heroine who can do, will do and does do. She has frequently played a heroine who challenges...
In her best roles, Vidya Balan has portrayed a heroine who can do, will do and does do. She has frequently played a heroine who challenges her circumstances and battles her way through adversity.
In her latest movie Shakuntala Devi, Balan plays the Indian mathematical genius who amazed the world with her ability to perform complex calculations. Anu Menon’s biopic, which will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video from July 31, explores Shakuntala Devi’s fame and the impact of her unusual talent on her daughter. Why should I be normal when I can be amazing, Shakuntala says in the trailer.
This is Balan’s second role as a member of the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics field. In Mission Mangal (2017), she plays a rocket scientist. However, there was little indication in her early roles that the actor would be called upon to depict emotional and mental strength.
After making a strong impression in television serials, Balan made her feature debut in the Bengali-language Bhalo Theko in 2003. The lavishly produced Parineeta (2005) introduced her to Hindi audiences. Lage Raho Munnabhai the following year gave her a few nice scenes and songs, but this being a Rajkumar Hirani movie, the heroine was subservient to the hero.
Mani Ratnam’s Guru (2007)...