Devika Bhise who plays mathematical legend Ramanujan's wife in the biopic
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 16, 2015)

Last June, when writer-director Matt Brown, handed the script of The Man Who Knew Infinity, a biopic on Srinivasa Ramanujan, based on Robert Kanigel's 1991 book, to Devika Bhise, she immediately connected with Janaki, the Tam-Bram wife of the Indian mathematician. "I had already acted in a play while in university in Baltimore, based on the same book. Back then, I'd played the goddess Namagiri, since the play focused more on the human relationships than actual maths," the actress-producer told Mirror from Canada, where she's representing the film with co-star Dev Patel at the Toronto International Film Festival.

She raves about Dev's passion and energy which expresses itself in Ramanujan's intense dedication on screen, even though Dev isn't a mathematician for real. "I loved maths. I was on the maths team in middle school and took advanced calculus in high school," she informs.

From Toronto, the film travels to the Zurich International Film Festival where it will be screened at the opening gala on September 24. Talking about her character, Devika points out that like her, Janaki too is a strong, independent woman. "She let her husband, born in a poor family in Madras, now Chennai, leave her and the children behind in India to pursue his dream at the Cambridge University under professor GH Hardy (Jeremy Irons). The film unfolds in India and the US," says the New York-based actress, whose training in Carnatic and Hindustani classical music and dance came in handy.

She admits she'd have loved to be a part of The Lunchbox, 3 Idiots, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Mary Kom. "These unique stories are changing Bollywood for the better. Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan consistently deliver amazing performances."