Jianbing Wang interviews Anand Kumar in Patna on Thursday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

In a classic case of two superpowers meeting, China would soon be able to see mathematician Anand Kumar — a founder member of Super 30 — on TV.

Though foreign media channels have documented the Super 30 founder, China Central Television (CC TV) chief correspondent, New Delhi bureau, Jianbing Wang would shoot a film on not only the math wizard but also his mother crediting her with Anand’s mammoth success.

Wang was in Patna on Thursday to shoot the film. He said: “People like Anand who attain success through hard work are highly regarded in our country.” He added: “I have come to make a film on his life and success. He has enabled hundreds of poor students clear the IIT entrance test.” The story would depict how a man from a humble background chooses to be a teacher, selects students from underprivileged section and mentors them to clear the toughest engineering entrance test in India for more than 11 years without any government or agency help.

“In China, there is a major viewer base of programmes, which revolve around people who have risen from rags to riches. People want to see how a man from a humble background has become an inspirational figure through hard work. Such motivational stories are a big hit back in China,” said the chief correspondent of the Chinese government-owned TV channel.

When Wang was told that Anand’s mother prepares food for the select 30 students under his tutelage at his residence in Jakkanpura, Wang used the cliché “behind every successful man, there is a woman” and added that Anand’s mother too has a hand behind his achievements. The chief correspondent said Anand’s mother’s contribution, too, would be part of his film.

Wang said as there are no private TV channels in China, CC TV selects programmes that have inspirational as well as entertainment value. “Such success stories are also beamed as TV scroll or advertisements during some programmes,” he added.

Nearly a year ago, Anand was invited by CC TV to Beijing, where he was interviewed by TV presenter James Chau at a special story programme — Asia Special. After the interview, CC TV authorities asked Wang to can a film on Anand. When Wang was asked about the Chinese education system and the nation’s ascent as a superpower, he said: “The education system in China is different from India as 99 per cent of schools are owned by the government. The rest are run by private agencies and only children from affluent families study in those.”

Students studying in government schools don’t have to pay anything till Class IX. For classes X, XI and XII, a pupil has to pay a nominal amount.

Anand, when asked how it felt about another foreign television channel making a film on him, said: “Like the Chinese government, the state and central governments in India should make film on the lives of people who can be an inspiration for others.”