Toronto, Sep 15 (IANS): "The Man Who Knew Infinity", a biopic on Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, will get a gala opening at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Thursday. The tickets for the much-anticipated film are said to have been sold out already.

Written and directed by Matthew Brown, the movie features "Slumdog Millionaire" star Dev Patel and actress Devika Bhise.

It follows Ramanujan (Dev Patel) from his humble roots in Madras - where opportunities for someone of Ramanujan's abilities are few - to Cambridge University, where the young prodigy's visionary theories attract the attention of English mathematician G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons).

Ramanujan's contributions to the Number Theory, Continued Fractions and Infinite Series revolutionised the field of mathematics.

Devika, who plays Ramanujan's wife in the film, found the role very challenging.

"In her time, it would have taken her a lot of courage to send her husband to Cambridge knowing that it would be hard on her life. What inspired me was to know how ahead of her time she was. It was challenging to get the complexity of her character across," Devika said in a statement.

Born and raised in Manhattan, Devika is an accomplished actress, Bharatanatyam dancer, Hindustani classical vocalist and jazz vocalist.

"The Man Who Knew Infinity" will also be the opening gala film at the 11th edition of Zurich film festival which will be held on September 24.