Well, more than that, Hardy's ("valet"?), Beglan, was featured very prominently. He was in almost every scene that Ramanujan wasn't. Was there a significance?
shareThere was a line at the very start of the film, from Hardy. Something about 'romance', but the theme was never developed.
shareThe term romance doesn't necessarily mean sexual. I think it was platonic. Hardy just seemed socially awkward and wasn't into close friendships and relationships because of his work. Because Ramanujan was particularly gifted in an area of mathematics he was interested in, he developed a kind of strong bond/non-sexual love with him. They didn't show any evidence that he was physically attracted to him, even if that may have actually been the case in reality.
http://www.1971-reviewae.com
Oh my lord, the word 'romance' in that context doesn't mean a sexual relationship, it means, an adventure, something magical and exciting, like the 'romantic' literature of the early 19th century.
shareI see the use of the term "romance" in that context to be very similar to today's use of the word "bromance". Not romantically involved sexually, but on a friendship level. And in this case, taking it past a "bromance", being a romance on an intellectual level.
shareThat is the 'romance' of mathematics.The emotional gratification or excitement it provides to be in company of a great mathematician to people who are fascinated with mathematics.
share... good grief ...
and as a sardonic aside, my smart phone tried to spell 'grief' as 'Freud' ...
but anyway - I think this is about the 5th time recently someone has questioned or attempted to interpret a scene or two from a movie with the narrow word 'gay' - its as if some look for it and apparently don't actually watch the movie to understand the much deeper dynamics of people's lives.
It was actually quite clear to me that the 'romance' was the intense preoccupation and passion for math shared by all of these men - which was quite clearly portrayed with emotions & actions similar to human romance:
Ramanujan's words to his own wife as he described his view of math to her were as if he was describing a lover. The movie then continued to portray this affair with math in every avtion...
Hardy's narration was the introduction to it.
Hardy clearly was an emotionally distant man in all ways - this was all said, and moreover, he was 'married to mathematics'.
I am not sure about the historical reality of this comment, or of Hardy's life - (other than he was not old) but within the context of this movie and Iron's Hardy, I
completely interpreted the hug as Hardy finally expressing some emotion for another human being whose mind and brilliance he had so much interest in and love for, and for whom he had 'gone to bat for' . . . his sexual preferences never entered my mind.
"Take the tube away from your one eye - and see the big picture with both eyes"
Jesus Christ in heaven. Why does everyone have to be gay or straight to you people?
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Fear not for the future; weep not for the past -- Percy Bysshe Shelley
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OMGoodness, Hardy says in the movie that he is married to mathematics. Simple as that.
There is nothing more or nothing less.