Thursday 20 December 2012

Life of Pi



An animated film… Involving a boy and tiger… They end up in same boat… And…Their journey together… This is all I knew about Life of Pi directed by Ang Lee. Oh yeah! I also knew that the movie is an adaptation of Yann Martel’s book named Life of Pi.

I went to watch the film with total excitement. After all, I was going to watch a 3D film for the first time. Besides, I was watching an English film a long time. The last one I had watched was Anaconda. (That was my first one too!!)

Ok, back to business… Life of Pi is the story of a young boy, Piscine, who happens to be named after a swimming pool in Paris. The story is about how he felt God closer to him. The story also talks about something very important – The need to say “goodbye” and let go.

Piscine aka Pi is a boy brought up by in Pondicherry, India. Its cultural and religious diversity confuses Pi. He mindlessly starts to follow all the three religions – Hindu, Islam and Christianity – in the hope of reaching to Him. As a child he enjoys life and tries to make friend with everyone, including the majestic Tiger, Richard Parker, who is taken care in their zoo. The story moves takes an inadvertent turn, when Pi is left in a life boat along with the majestic yet menacing Richard Parker.

Suraj Sharma as Pi is brilliant. His body language is convincing and he acts effortlessly. Another notable character is the Tiger – Richard Parker. The animation looks so real and there are some scenes which scares us too. Tabu comes across for a few scenes and stays in our hearts.

Irfan Khan comes across as the older version of Pi. He narrates the story and he indeed stays in our heart. He looks simple and acts convincingly.

But, to be frank, the real credit should go to the entire technical team who worked on the animation. They have presented it convincingly. The movie is a visual treat. The greeneries and blue ocean… Those fishes and blue whales… Mere cats and what not!

Anyways, the second half could have been a less dragging. The struggle in the sea seems eternal and as audience, we feel a little lost too. The sea seems shore-less and struggle seems endless. \

Still, the movie is an experience in itself. So don’t miss it. Though a Hollywood making, it is more Indian… The characters… The accent of English uttered… The places… The people… The culture… I felt awesome when so many attractive Alapona kolam was displayed in credits.

So two thumbs up from my side… Enjoy the film. I bet that you will not curse me!!!

4 comments: