Amazon Presents Shakuntala Devi is the first Indian language biopic to make its global premiere exclusively on Prime Video.

Produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions and Vikram Malhotra, and directed by Anu Menon, Shakuntala Devi stars National award-winning actor Vidya Balan in the lead, alongside Sanya Malhotra, Amit Sadh and Jisshu Sengupta.

Prime members in India and more than 200 countries and territories can stream the global premiere of Shakuntala Devi from 31^st July

Amazon Prime Video offers incredible value with unlimited streaming of the latest and exclusive movies, TV shows, stand-up comedy, Amazon Originals, ad-free music through Amazon Prime Music, free fast delivery on India’s largest selection of products, early access to top deals, unlimited reading with Prime Reading and mobile gaming content with Prime Gaming, all available only for ₹129 a month

MUMBAI, India, 09 July 2020: Guinness World Records has honoured the late Shakuntala Devi with the record title for ‘Fastest human computation’.  This certificate has come as a welcome surprise mere days ahead of the release of the biopic, Shakuntala Devi on Amazon Prime Video. The Fastest human computation is 28 seconds and was achieved by Shakuntala Devi (India), successfully multiplying two randomly selected 13-digit numbers, at Imperial College London, UK, on 18 Jun 1980. The certification was received by Anupama Banerji, daughter of the late Shakuntala Devi.

To celebrate the extraordinary life of the genius Shakuntala Devi, Amazon Prime Video is all set to globally premiere an exciting biopic titled Shakuntala Devi, chronicling her various achievements both personal and professional. The film is directed and written by Anu Menon and produced by Sony Pictures Networks, India and Vikram Malhotra, under his banner Abundantia Entertainment. The film stars Vidya Balan as Shakuntala Devi, Sanya Malhotra as Anupama Banerji alongside Jisshu Sengupta and Amit Sadh in other pivotal roles.

“It is an overwhelming moment for me to be able to receive this honor on my mother’s behalf. To be conferred with the certificate of ‘Fastest human computation’ is an exciting feat that only my mother was capable of!” said Anupama Banerji, the daughter of late Shakuntala Devi. She further expressed, “I am glad that I had the opportunity to provide significant inputs while developing the biopic, Shakuntala Devi, to ensure that people get to know my mother the way she was in real life – full of life and truly amazing. Her mad love and passion for maths is well-known, she always wanted to take this a level ahead. This is exactly the kind of recognition that would have made her extremely happy and thoroughly proud of her mathematical abilities which far surpassed anyone else’s.”

“While shooting for Shakuntala Devi in London, we would meet Anupama Banerji often. In my conversations with her, I realised that the late Shakuntala Devi, didn’t have an official certification from

Guinness World Records - it wasn’t the norm then. Vikram Malhotra and I were therefore very keen to make this happen and along with the Amazon Team, we reached out to the Guinness World Records team who provided us with every support. I am thrilled that Anumpana will now have the certificate to cherish forever. This is my tribute to the legend!” Said, actor Vidya Balan on essaying the role of Shakuntala Devi in her biopic. She added, “I am glad to be part of this interesting journey and being able to witness such a ‘1 in a 100 years’  woman who wore multiple hats being felicitated for her exemplary work. To be able to portray someone who continues to inspire us is truly an honour for me!”

Craig Glenday, Editor in Chief, Guinness World Records said, “Shakuntala Devi's astounding achievement continues to hold its place in the Guinness World Records archives after so many years. No one has been able to even equal, let alone break, this record which is a testament to both the exceptional power of Ms Devi's mind and the significance of this particular mental challenge.  A global celebration of the life and career of the "Human Computer" is long overdue, and Guinness World Records is honoured to play its part in championing this unique individual.”

Synopsis:

Shakuntala Devi – or the ‘Human Computer, as she was called – was not only a world-renowned math genius, but also a woman ahead of her times. She lived life on her own terms, and did so unapologetically. But, our film is not just about Shakuntala Devi, the math wizard, it is also about Shakuntala - the woman and mother, with all her brilliance, vulnerabilities and flaws.                                           

Shakuntala Devi will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood in the Prime Video catalog. These include Indian films Gulabo Sitabo, Ponmagal Vandhal and Penguin, Indian-produced Amazon Original series like Breathe: Into the Shadows, Paatal Lok, The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye, Four More Shots Please S1 and 2, The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge S1, and S2, and Made In Heaven. Prime members can also watch award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Original series like Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. All this is available at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members. The service includes titles in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Bengali.

Prime members will be able to watch Shakuntala Devi anywhere and anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, etc. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost.

Prime Video is available in India to Prime members for just ₹999 annually, or ₹129 monthly. New customers can find out more at www.amazon.in/prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

ABOUT AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

Prime Video is a premium streaming service that offers Prime members a collection of award-winning Amazon Original series, thousands of movies, and TV shows—all with the ease of finding what they love to watch in one place.  Find out more at PrimeVideo.com. 

• Included with Prime Video: Shakuntala Devi joins thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood, including Indian-produced Amazon Original series such as Breathe: Into the Shadows, Paatal Lok, The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made In Heaven, and award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Original series including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, all of which are available for unlimited streaming with a Prime membership. Prime Video includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali.

• Instant Access: Members can watch Shakuntala Devi anywhere, anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, and multiple gaming devices. Prime Video is also available to consumers through Airtel and Vodafone pre-paid and post-paid subscription plans. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost.

• Enhanced experiences: Make the most of every viewing with 4K Ultra HD- and High Dynamic Range (HDR)-compatible content. Go behind the scenes of your favorite movies and TV shows with exclusive X-Ray access, powered by IMDb. Save it for later with select mobile downloads for offline viewing.

• Included with Prime: Prime Video is available in India at no extra cost with Prime membership for just ₹999 annually or ₹129 monthly, new customers can find out more at  amazon.in/prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

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About Abundantia

Founded in 2013, Abundantia is India’s premier content company focused on developing and producing progressive, insight-based and uniquely Indian stories for a global audience.

Operating across Film, TV and Digital platforms, Abundantia’s first title, Baby, met with spectacular success in 2015 and its next film, Airlift (2016), was a massive hit at the box-office, earning unprecedented critical and audience acclaim. Abundantia notched up another winner with Toilet-Ek Prem Katha and also boasts of titles like Chef – the remake of Jon Favreau’s Hollywood indie by the same name as part of its filmography. 

The company has an exciting slate of films for 2020 and beyond, top-lined by a film on math genius, Shakuntala Devi, starring Vidya Balan and Sanya Malhotra which will have its world premiere on Amazon Prime Video, the Hindi remake of the super hit South film Bhaagamathie - titled Durgavati, starring Bhumi Pednekar and Newton director, Amit Masurkar’s next, Sherni starring Vidya Balan.

Also in the pipeline is the official remake of Hollywood hit Begin Again, the Hindi remake of acclaimed Malayalam hit, Angamaly Diaries, as well as films by talented filmmakers like Suresh Triveni, Shashanka Ghosh, Bharatbala and Aarif Sheikh among others.

In 2017, Abundantia created a buzz in the digital space with India’s premiere Amazon Original, Breathe. The second season of the show, which marks the digital debut of movie star Abhishek Bachchan, released on 10^th July, 2020. In March 2019, Abundantia also announced its latest series, THE END, which has Indian superstar Akshay Kumar leading the cast. There is an active pipeline of digital content under development at Abundantia, which includes a serialized drama based on the book Men Who Killed Gandhi, and a multi-season procedural crime-drama series on the bestselling Rita Ferreira books.

About Guinness World Records   

What’s the fastest game bird in Europe? This was the question that inspired the founding of Guinness World Records back in 1955. Starting with a single book published from a room above a gym, GWR has grown to become a global multi-media brand, with offices in London, New York, Miami, Beijing, Tokyo and Dubai. Today, we deliver world-class content, not just through Books, but via TV shows, Social Media and Live Events. Our in-house consultancy works closely with brands and businesses around the world to harness the power of record-breaking and deliver award-winning campaigns and business solutions. Our ultimate purpose is to inspire people - individuals, families, schools, groups, companies, communities and even entire countries – to read about, watch, listen to and participate in record-breaking. To join this record-breaking community – and find out the answer to that original question – visit guinnessworldrecords.com.