Days after her get-up was leaked online, Vidya Balan opens up on her on-screen avatar as math wiz Shakuntala Devi
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 23, 2019)

Even as she was inundated with biopic offers, the Shakuntala Devi biopic has been the only project to earn Vidya Balan's nod. Eager to give her own interpretation to the genius, the actor has begun the groundwork on the Anu Menon-directed venture. Only days ago, a picture of Balan in a brown cotton saree and a short bob did the rounds of the Internet, leading to chatter that she has begun her look test.

"I will get a bob to look the part. So the curly bob and my classic South Indian face is a good match for the part," smiles Balan, happy to have found another powerful role that does justice to her acting prowess. The film will tell the story of the Karnataka-born Devi who displayed a knack for arithmetic at an early age. Her mathematical proficiency earned her the nickname of 'Human Computer'.

While math will understandably be an integral part of the narrative, the actor asserts that the film will peel away the layers to discover the woman behind the number cruncher. "I always liked math, but that isn't a pre-requisite here. What drew me to the subject was her magnetic personality and the life that she led. I am playing her from her early 20s till the fag end of her career," she explains.