Actor Vidya Balan says there are moments of self doubt in her life but playing a character like mathematics genius Shakuntala Devi, who owned her choices, acts like a source of inspiration. The actor said the biopic strengthened her belief that it is okay for women to claim ownership on their lives without being apologetic. “She owned her choices and stood her ground. Her story definitely inspired me and has shown me that it is actually okay for a woman to want it all in life,” Vidya told PTI in an interview. “Shakuntala Devi enjoyed the attention and she couldn’t understand the world saying that ‘You are a wife now or you are a mother and your priorities should change.’ She had this gift and she wanted to celebrate it. She was someone who wanted it all and had it all,” she added. Directed by Anu Menon, the biographical drama touches upon the various events in the life of Shakuntala Devi, whose ability to solve complex mathematical problems swiftly, made her famous as the “human computer”. In her last solo theatrical outing, Vidya essayed the role of a middle class housewife, struggling to strike a balance between her family duties and her new found ambition for radio jockeying. But Shakuntala Devi, 41-year-old actor said, was in complete contrast to Sulu as she didn’t believe in giving into social constrains and kept her ambition at the top of her priority list. “Sulu was more traditional. She was still functioning within the constraints of the traditional middle class family. She was negotiating and navigating her way. We women have been taught to prioritise everyone else in our families. We put ourselves last. And here was Shakuntala Devi who was refusing to do that. She said ‘Yes, I love my family, my child, but I love myself as well. Why should that be wrong?” Vidya is known for treading her own path in Bollywood by playing varying shades of women in critically and commercially successful movies such as “Kahaani”, “No One Killed Jessica”, “Ishqiya” and “The Dirty Picture”. But that choice brings its share of self doubt. The actor said in her personal life, she is still away from achieving the level of fearlessness that Shakuntala Devi had as she still questions her decisions. “I’m at a stage in my life where I’m somewhere between Sulu and Shakuntala. I believe the film has given me more push towards being Shakuntala. But I still go through self-doubt. I question myself and my choices sometimes. ” source https://www.indiatvnews.com/entertainment/celebrities/i-m-somewhere-between-sulu-and-shankutala-devi-in-real-life-vidya-balan-636211
