![]() In the end, and on this spectrum of the subject, their maths was an art and the two were artists in a form of rather unique collaboration. Most historical accounts tend to focus on Hardy as the man who introduced Ramanujan to the West and while that is blandly true, this film shows that the two men were deeply connected through their ‘art’. He too, much like Ramanujan, was a man and product of his times, and only came quite late on to appreciate what Ramanujan had done for him. His relationship with the Cambridge mathematician GH Hardy (Irons) is at the core of this production. It was a sense of calling and duty that propelled him forward – ‘an equation has no meaning for me unless it expresses a thought of God’. In our video interview with Patel (see below), he talks about Ramanujan’s ‘great nobility of soul’. That meant being vegetarian in Britain at a time when there was simply no idea of that. Ramanujan put aside all that and remained true to his own beliefs – he continued to practise as a Brahmin. His Brahmin mother was not happy – it’s easy to forget that once Brahmins left the motherland, they ceased to be in their own eyes – and while the film does not dwell on it (there is just one line about it) – they consider themselves to be ‘polluted’ and ‘contaminated’ when they are in an environment they cannot control. Srinivasa Ramanujan (Patel) and young wife Janaki (Devika Bhise) Not easy probably for someone who is confident and as poised as Patel.įrom accounts, Ramanujan was a quiet, fastidious man – shy, introverted and deeply religious.Įven coming to Cambridge in 1914 as war descended on Europe would have been a massive deal. ![]() Even from the trailer, where he says “I have nothing – do you know what I’ve given up to be here” – a young wife, mother, traditional beliefs…. But this is a finely modulated performance and he does inhabit this real enigma of a man and a mathematician beautifully and effectively. Whether that’s because it’s Dev Patel and not another equally adept actor, you will have to judge for yourself. On a personal level, Dev Patel smashes it. It is an amazing story – a barely educated, poverty-stricken man from South India, defies convention to produce some of the most complex mathematical work ever undertaken and were it not for other men who believed in Ramanujan, we would all be much the poorer. On paper, it does look a tricky proposition and while the backing star cast certainly helps to give it weight and gravitas (in Jeremy Irons, Toby Jones, Stephen Fry) these are far from a guarantee that the film is any good. ![]() Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel) in Chennai ![]()
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