From Srinivasa Ramanujan to Stephen Hawking, here are five films that tell the narrative of well-known scientists who have made significant contributions to the world through their inventions and discoveries.
Biopics are one of the most fascinating genres, and those centred on scientists demonstrate that there is always an untold narrative behind every breakthrough invention. Every week, a slew of films are released, but only biopics capture the essence of a person's life journey. While Bollywood prepares to release films about Indian scientists with 'Rocket Boys' and 'Rocketry,' here are five films that tell the untold stories of famous scientists.
'The Man Who Knew Infinity' (Srinivasa Ramanujan)
'The Man Who Knew Infinity' is a true story about math genius Srinivasa Ramanujan, written and directed by Matthew Brown. The film is moving and vividly depicts Ramanujan's personal tale. The film brings out the story of a mathematical genius from a poor family who, with the appropriate mentoring, succeeds to break into the area of mathematics. The role of Ramanujan is played by Indian actor Dev Patel.
'The Theory Of Everything' (Stephen Hawking)
This love biographical drama based on the life of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking was adapted from Jane Hawking's biography 'Traveling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen'. The path of Hawking's life is eloquently depicted in this film, with Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones portraying Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde, respectively.
'The Imitation Game' (Alan Turing)
'The Imitation Game' is a 2014 historical thriller film directed by Morten Tyldum and based on the real-life story of British mathematician, logician, cryptologist, and computer scientist Alan Turing, who is portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch and is considered the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence.
'A Beautiful Mind' (John Nash)
'A Beautiful Mind' received four Academy Awards after its release in 2001, including Best Picture. The film is based on the biography of Nobel Laureate John Nash, who is played by Oscar winner Russell Crowe in a stunning performance. It was based on Sylvia Nasar's bestseller, Pulitzer Prize-nominated 1997 novel of the same name.
'The Current War' (Thomas Edison)
'The Current War' is a 2017 American historical drama film based on a 19th-century dispute between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse over which electric power delivery technology will be adopted in the US. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Edison, Michael Shannon as Westinghouse, Nicholas Hoult as Nikola Tesla, and Tom Holland as Samuel Insull, and is directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon.