What it's like: The true story of a brilliant Indian mathematician and the struggles and sacrifices he faced in achieving his potential.
Plot: Srinivasa Ramanujam was a natural mathematical genius who found his way from an ordinary life in India to studying at the highest level in Cambridge University in the 1910s. But to achieve his goal of publishing his work, he has to travel overseas, apart from his family, and then endure prejudice and cultural isolation while getting to grips with a different education system. Dev Patel plays the lead role and Jeremy Irons his mentor Professor Hardy: they are complete opposites in many ways (Ramanujam mystical and intuitive, Hardy rigorous and logical) and have to work out a way of working together.
Comment: The film is a vivid portrait both of Indian life and moreso Cambridge university, where most of the film is set, with a very clearly depicted and believable set of main characters. The acting is excellent and it’s the best performance I’ve ever seen by Jeremy Irons: he’s very credible as an old-fashioned British professor.
Definitely worth watching. I didn’t find the film gripping, but it was interesting and eye-opening: I learned a lot about culture and education in past times.
A point on diversity The film stresses the importance of providing for people’s diverse cultures and needs: when Srinivasa comes to a British university, there is no provision for his culture in terms of diet, religion or companions (such as student societies or clubs). The university staff, some of them very well-meaning, don’t see that this is a problem.
Point of interest: The mathematician-philosopher and pacifist Bertrand Russell is one of the dons in the college. He and others lead anti-war meetings during WW1.
Rating: a strong (and Fermat-ly formulaic) 4/5.
Comments