When director Anu Menon was asked what inspired her to make a biopic on math genius and 'human computer' Shakuntala Devi, she said that it was daughter who inspired her. She shared, "One day, I heard my then 9-year-old daughter say that girls like English and boys like Maths. That really stung and I realised that we really need to fix this."

She added, "That was the starting point, following which I began doing some research around Shakuntala Devi and eventually connected with her daughter Anupama in London with my co-writer Nayanika. So this is certainly a story that is equal measures personal and important to me. I do hope little girls across the world see the movie and feel differently about maths."