How’s it that a boy from a lower-middle class family in a small town in Tamil Nadu, with no formal training in Mathematics went on to become one of the world’s most brilliant mathematicians? An upcoming documentary on the life of Srinivasa Ramanujan, one of India’s most revered mathematicians, can give answer to this question. Titled ‘God, Zero and Infinity’ and filmed at Kumbakonam, Ramanujan’s hometown in Tamil Nadu, among other places, the documentary will give an insight into his life. Born in 1887, Ramanujan went on to compile new formulae and identities that made the rest of the world to sit up and take notice. Though he met an untimely end in 1920, he had managed to make a significant, if not a vast contribution to the field of Mathematics, making a mark in India, and at Trinity College, Cambridge, England, where he worked with mathematician G H Hardy.

With Tom Alter as the narrator, the documentary also includes interviews of Ramanujan’s adopted son, and other famous mathematicians, including President of the American Mathematics Society George Andrews. Beginning with his birth at his home on Sarangapani Street, Kumbakonam, the documentary revolves around Ramanujan’s stint at Trinity College. Parts of the documentary have also been shot at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in the city.

“Every mathematician we have met was thrilled to know that we were making a film on Ramanujan. When we started, it was a small project, but after we completed the project, it was beyond our expectations,” says Santosh Dhavala, director of the movie. The documentary also includes interview with A P J Abdul Kalam, who was reportedly delighted on hearing that there would be a film on Ramanujan’s life.

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