The wife behind the genius
NRI actress Devika Bhise has bagged the role of maths wizard Ramanujan’s wife in Matthew Brown’s upcoming biopic The Man Who Knew Infinity opposite Dev Patel
Indo- American actress Devika Bhise has bagged the role of Ramanujan’s wife
Indo- American actress Devika Bhise attributes her successful career to the Indian side of her personality. She has recently bagged the role of Srinivasa Ramanujan’s wife, Janaki, in Matthew Brown’s upcoming biopic, The Man Who Knew Infinity . “It is a biopic of Indian mathematics wizard, Ramanujan. Dev Patel will be playing the role of Ramanujan and I am playing Janaki, his wife. While researching for my character, I found Janaki’s life quite fascinating,” says the actress, who is settled in Manhattan.
Devika, a graduate from John Hopkins University, will be soon flying down to Chennai to shoot her part in the Hollywood project.
Interestingly, she also played the role of goddess Namagiri in The Partition, a play based on Robert Kanigel’s book The Man Who Knew Infinity. “My meeting with Kanigel at Cambridge University gave me more insights into and a deeper understanding of Janaki’s personality post Ramanujan’s death. He met Janaki when she was a lot older. I got a sense of who she was through him.”
Elaborating further on her character, she says, “Janaki was much ahead of her time. She was a lady with progressive thoughts. It would take a lot of courage to send your husband to Cambridge in those days, knowing that it would be hard on your personal life.”
Devika, 23, is not just an aspiring actress, but also a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and Hindustani classical and jazz vocalist. She speaks English, Hindi, Marathi, French and Italian and has portrayed a variety of interesting characters so far. “My extensive training in Bharatanatyam helped me understand the cultural intricacies of the Tamilian Brahmin Iyengar community to which Ramanujan and Janaki belonged. I also learnt about the culture, the Sanskrit shlokas, the body language, eye movements and the language of Iyenger Brahmins, to help me do justice to my character,” she shares.
Devika is excited to share the screen with Oscar- awardwinning actor Jeremy Irons, who plays Ramanujan’s mentor, G. H. Hardy in the film. “It is a dream come true to share the screen with veteran actor Jeremy Irons. I have grown up watching and admiring his films,” she adds.
She also acted in 2008 film The Accidental Husband, co- starring Uma Thurman and Anamika: Her
It is a dream come true as I will be sharing the screen with veteran actor Jeremy Irons
Glorious Past. “It was a small yet significant part in The Accidental Husband and helped me a lot in improving my acting skills,” she says.
Devika is looking forward to shooting with Dev Patel, best known for his role in Slumdog Millionaire. “I met him at Cambridge and we spent time getting to know one another. It’s very important to understand your co- star before you start working together on a project,” she adds.
Born and raised in New York City, Devika has been singing, acting, and performing since the age of 5. “My love for dance was never limited to Bharatanatyam and gradually as a teenager I started pursuing jazz, modern dance, hip- hop and salsa. As a teenager, I grew up listening to jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. My interest in jazz provided me opportunities to perform solo jazz concerts at several established venues across the world.”
When not busy with her shooting s chedules, Devika likes to indulge in a host of activities. She shares, “Apart from acting, I love chocolates, yoga, running, pampering dogs, shopping and researching on marine biology — a subject that fascinates me a lot!”