In a huge setback to millions of his fans across the globe, Bihar mathematician Anand Kumar has been diagnosed suffering from acoustic neuroma, a non-cancerous tumour on the main nerve leading from the inner ear to the brain.

Kumar runs the famed “Super 30”, a free coaching institute which has helped hundreds of unprivileged children crack the prestigious and highly-competitive Joint Entrance Exam (Advanced) for the admission to India’s premier Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Kumar made the shocking revelation just a day ahead of the release of Hrithik Roshan-starrer movie “Super 30” based on his life. The film will hit the big screen on Friday.

“The film’s writers wanted that I permit for the film as quickly as possible. You have no idea of life and death, so I wanted this biopic to be made while I am alive,” Kumar told news agency ANI in an interview on Thursday.

According to him, the trouble started in 2014 when he faced serious hearing problems in his right ear. A series of tests conducted later on revealed that 80-90 per cent of his hearing ability had been destroyed.

Subsequently, he admitted himself to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi where he went through extensive medical check-ups followed by various kinds of tests. “After the tests, I was told I had no issues in my ear, rather a tumour had been developed in the nerve which runs from ear to brain,” Kumar told the media.

It was under this background that he gave the go-ahead to the movie project so that he could see that his story was picturised in the right manner. “So, I read the script 13 times,” Kumar revealed.

Bihar’s math wizard also revealed how Hrithik, who plays him in the movie, made a 150-hour video of how he interacts with children, teaches students at the coaching institute and how he behaves while going out so that the Bollywood actor could imbibe his every minute trait.

“Super 30” is a highly ambitious and innovative education programme running under the banner of the Ramanujan School of Mathematics. It hunts for 30 meritorious talents from among economically backward sections of the society and shapes them for India’s prestigious institution—IIT.

In the past 17 years since it came into being, the free-coaching institute has helped a total of 445 children from economically weak and unprivileged section qualify for IIT.

Right now, “Super 30” has become an architect for the budding poor talents, thanks to the sheer hard works of its founder Kumar. Fascinated by mathematics since early childhood, Kumar always dreamt of becoming a mathematician. He started showing sparks of brilliance since the early days. His love for mathematics came to the fore in 1992 when he formed a Mathematics Club, “Ramanujam School of Mathematics” while he was still pursuing graduation.

His mathematical bent of mind was spotted by renowned teachers, who provided him with encouragement. Under the guidance of his mentor and guru, Devi Prasad Verma, the then Head, Department of Mathematics, Patna Science College, Anand started a training programme for mathematics lovers. It was a free programme which anybody with interest in Mathematics could join.

As months rolled by, Kumar contributed several problems and papers on Mathematics to various national and international journals, magazines and newspapers.

In 1994, Anand got an opportunity to pursue higher education at Cambridge University but his poor financial health came in the way. Having witnessed extreme financial hardship since childhood, he felt the pangs of poverty so much that he decided to do something for the poor students who invariably fade away without getting the right opportunities. This led to the birth of Super 30.