Ramanujan Review - A Fitting Tribute

Bharath Vijayakumar

Biopics in Indian cinema have mostly dealt with either freedom fighters or politicians. Hence it is rather refreshing to see one about a mathematical genius from our very own country. Gnanasekaran who has an impressive track record of films about great personalities such as Bharathi and Periyar turns his attention towards Srinivasa Ramanujan this time.

History:

The film follows the life and times of this supremely talented individual from his childhood. It shows us his struggles and the pain he undergoes in his journey yearning for recognition.

Cast:

Abhinay Vaddi (grandson of yesteryear actor Gemini Ganesan) looks the part as Ramanujan and makes an impressive debut. Fitting into the shoes of a real life personality is a different ball game altogether and requires a convincing display of a gamut of emotions and to the youngster’s credit he comes of unscathed for the most part. Bhama as his young and naive wife scores well.  Suhasini Manirathnam as the loving mother who is indifferent to her daughter in law is very good. The rest of the cast that includes foreigners have done adequately well.

Crew :

The songs of Ramesh Vinayagam are melodious and suit the milieu and time. That the background score is in sync with the happenings is true. But did the score during the opening credits have to be gloomy? The budget constraints are obvious on screen. But given that the film is a docu drama it does not hamper the purpose of the film. At times some of the scenes do seem to end abruptly.

Highlights:

What works the most for the film is that unlike most biopics that deal with people who interacted with the masses this is a very personal film. It is actually a love story in a way. The man is so much in love with mathematics that he even gets obsessed with it over a period of time. It is not often that we see the protagonist in tears. But Ramanujan showcases the fragility of it’s protagonist who never hides his emotions when he is left helpless. This film about someone who lived almost a century ago is still relevant with the type of questions it indirectly asks about our present education system. This concept that it is better to be average in all subjects rather than a master in one is something that still crushes the aspirations of so many kids and youngsters to this day. Ramanujan’s father is more contented when his son finally gets a degree than when he is lauded by stalwarts in the field of Mathematics. There is this particular scene when the manager of the office (a British) in which Ramanujan is employed helps him in pursuing his interest. Ramanujan thanks him profusely with almost tears in his eyes. The manager looks embarrassed fully aware that he is actually helping someone who is far ahead of himself. This sadly could be the state of many uncelebrated geniuses even today.

When viewed purely as an art form the film has it’s fair share of flaws. The dubbing in Tamil to the British characters to ensure the film has it’s reach dilutes the realistic feel. The film is packed with small incidents and the seamless flow is actually missing. The scenes where the characters realize the genius of the man seem too rushed. For a docu drama the running time of close to three hours might not be conducive to reach the masses.

Bottomline:

Ramanujan is a noble effort and a fascinating insight about the life and times of this Maths Wizard who lived all his life in unison with his true love.

Verdict:

How do you assign a number to value a film that is about a man who was a master of the number game?