Ramanujan was one of the most distinguished mathematicians of the 20th Century, regarded as a name to reckon with in the mathematical fraternity even today. That he did not have any formal training in the subject made him an enigma. His life arouses great interest even now though he died in 1920. Quite a few books have been written on him and one, “The Man Who Knew Infinity”, is now being adapted as a movie with the same name.
Devika Bhise, the New York-born theatre and film actor who was last seen in “The Accidental Husband”, is a part of the film on the great mathematician. She has also worked in documentaries, including “Hijra: The Third Gender” and “Anamika: Her Glorious Past”. In “The Man Who Knew Infinity”, she will essay the role of Janaki, Ramanujan’s wife. In an interview with Friday Review she discusses the film, her role and her co-actors.
Excerpts from the interview
How did the film come about?
The film version is the brainchild of Matt Brown, who is writing and producing it. It is based on the book by Robert Kanigel, and it traces the journey of Ramanujan to Oxford and his work there with G.H. Hardy. The film has been in development for eight years now, but it was only in the last couple of months that things really came together.
Did you know about Ramanujan before you were a part of the movie?
I had heard of him before the movie came about but there only a little which I knew about him.
I really got to know the man after I was offered the movie and I read the story of his journey to England, and his work there with Hardy, and the way in which he managed to get his ideas across in that society.
The story is very fascinating, and I believe that it would make for a compelling narrative.
Janaki, who you portray in the film is a character from a different era, could you manage to relate to her?Also how did you prepare for the role?
Well, Janaki’s interactions with her husband, even though they are from around World War I, are redolent with modern sensibilities. She made her life on her own, without relying on her husband. She reminded me of a very modern woman, who managed to adopt a child and start a school and managed to create a nice world for herself even after her husband’s death.
So, in her independence, I could relate to her a lot.
The first thing which I did to get ready for the role was to meet with Robert Kanigel. He has met and talked to Janaki, so he was able to give me a portrayal of the woman which I could otherwise had never got. I needed to get used to wearing a sari, so for a period I wore it so often that I felt as if I had been wearing it my entire life.
My training helped immensely in relating to the culture in which Janaki grew up in and lived.
Dev Patel plays Ramanujan in the film, how was working with him?
I have not shot too many scenes with him yet, and have only done the beginning scenes in Oxford.
But I was on sets with him, and working with him would be a lot of fun. He brings a great deal of spontaneity to his acting.
Would you want to work in a Hindi film? Is this something which you have considered?
I would absolutely love to work in Hindi film.
I watch a lot of Hindi films, and really liked “Queen”, which I saw recently.
If there is a film which has a compelling part and script, I love to be a part of it.
