Director of Vidya Balan-starrer Shakuntala Devi confirms biopic on math wiz will follow Big B's Gulabo Sitabo in releasing directly on Amazon Prime.
Yesterday, Amitabh Bachchan tugged at heartstrings with a post that said he had "seen many changes and challenges" throughout his 51-year career, and was gearing up for yet another — the direct-to-web release of his film, Gulabo Sitabo. As Shoojit Sircar's offering became the front-runner among big-budget offerings to skip a cinematic release amid the lockdown, mid-day learns that Vidya Balan's film on math wiz Shakuntala Devi, also known as the Human-Computer, will join the list of movies heading directly to Amazon Prime Video.
Director Anu Menon tells mid-day, "I'm excited that the film will have its world première on Amazon Prime Video, and everyone will experience Shakuntala's incredible journey and Vidya's magical portrayal of her. Shakuntala's passion for math, and her determination to spread its joy to the world, was unparalleled. She lived ahead of her times and on her own terms. As we strive to change the narrative of the female protagonist on-screen, her story is one that [ought] to be told. No one could capture her wit and wisdom as well as Vidya did."
Anu Menon
The development follows the announcement that Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana's Gulabo Sitabo will release on the platform on June 12. Addressing the OTT release, Sircar said in an interview, "[I was told the film will] simultaneously release in 200 countries. I have never had a release of this scale."
A still from Gulabo Sitabo
Vijay Subramaniam, director and head of content at the web platform says, "With India's most-anticipated films premiering exclusively on Prime Video, [we plan to] bring the cinematic experience to [people's] doorstep."
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