Life of Pi - of the book, movie, Martel & Lee!

The first time I read ‘Life of Pi’, I accepted the book and its message at face value; a simple tale of a young boy’s story of survival, when he is stuck in the middle of the sea, on a life boat, with an orang-utan, a hyena & a man-eating Bengal Tiger, weirdly called ‘Richard Parker’!

But hidden between the lines & the characters, simmered a deeper intent, where Yann Martel, the author of the book, forces the involvement of the reader/viewer & compels us to make a choice, on how we want the story to progress & decide how it ends!

Was this simply an inspiring tale of survival, of Pi & Richard Parker being stuck in the middle of the raging sea & how they live to tell this tale?

OR, lurking menacingly beneath this fairy tale, is there an ugly truth, that when your back is up against the wall, survival-of-the-fittest-instincts kick in, where Martel hints, that man can turn into a beast, under trying circumstances & that the hyena, the orang-utan & the Bengal Tiger ... are all avatars of human beings, the orangutan being Pi’s mother, the hyena, the despicable cook and Pi, surprise, surprise, is Richard Parker, the tiger.

Shocking, huh, to think of sweet, gentle, vegetarian Pi, turning carnivorous & horror of horrors, maybe even a cannibal?!

The genius of Martel is that he gives the reader/viewer, the gift of choice. Given the same ending, of Pi making it to land & living happily ever after, whether we would like to confront the harsh possibilities, or escape into this delightful world of Pi & Parker, who overcome all odds & return to land & go their separate ways – a simple story of faith & the presence of God.

For me, the book was a tale of courage & that the survival instinct in man, bring out the best & the beast in him! It also confronts the possibility of man’s inhumanity to man, when the need arises.

Ang Lee, however, realizing that this multi-layered story, would be tough to translate on screen, has sensibly delivered a visual dynamite of a film, concentrating on the middle of the sea action!

The Pondicherry chapter was my favourite part of the book. Pi’s encounters with religion, his very odd parents, who make Pi who he is, by letting him be & his upbringing in the unusual zoo set up ... for some reason, Ang Lee seems to hurry through this part of the story, leaving the viewer with the feeling, that the director is keen on getting to the survival at sea chapter, asap. But this is apparent to only those who have read the book. Bombay Jayshree’s melodious song & the lilting tour of Pondicherry, set the serene tone for the movie, the lull before the storm, which changes Pi’s life forever!

Ang Lee, the director & craftsman, comes to life, post the sinking of the ship, a la Titanic, when Pi finally comes to terms with the uncomfortable truth that he is alone at sea, with only a Bengal Tiger for company!

The cinematography is breathtaking – for once, I did not resent wearing those uncomfortable 3D glasses over my thick spectacles! The screen comes alive & you feel every splash of the enraged waters, Richard Parker’s sea-sickness, the startling avalanche of flying fish, the school of dolphins ....

Irrfan Khan, plays the adult Pi, settled in Canada & the narrator of this incredible tale. What can one say about this ‘go to’ actor for all thinking roles, requiring an Indian, that has not already been expressed – except his slightly weird accent, which did jar a bit!

Suraj Sharma, the unknown student from St. Stephens, lives & breathes Pi – his innocence, vulnerability, the love-hate relationship with Richard Parker, his helpless guilt, at being the only survivor in his family, the progress in those twenty-one days at sea, from a young, carefree lad, to a toughened adult, who craftily manages to keep the man eating carnivore at bay, but candidly confesses that he couldn’t have made it without Richard Parker, the resigned acceptance that he has to give up being a vegetarian, his anguish at how the tiger walks away without a backward glance, once they reach land & the seamless transformation to the grown up Pi, played by Irrfan Khan ... Applause!!! Look forward to seeing more of this very talented, young actor. In retrospect, good decision not to have cast Dev Patel as Pi. Dev’s loss of the role of Pi, was Hollywood’s gain of a fine artist!

‘Life of Pi’, the movie; a simple tale of courage, hope, survival & faith, or a darker story, of the human instinct, cruel intentions, inhumanity & survival of the fittest? Not sure, whether the freedom of choice given to the viewer, is liberating, or confusing?

The Silver Linings Playbook ...

In the midst of much hyped movies, which you anticipate for months, play the, ‘will it, or won’t it live up to your lofty expectations’ game, like ‘The Hobbit’, or ‘will it be as good as the book’, like I wondered about ‘Life of Pi’, or will the movie convey the grandeur, the splendour, or the pathos of Tolstoy, in the film interpretation, ‘Anna Karenina’ ... a small film, serenely ambles into your life, like a breath of crisp, fresh air & makes you, to simply put it, happy!

Of goof balls & messed up minds; thoda sa insanity; loads of romance; that the road to a perfect ending, is lined with big time craziness:
Of a father’s guilt at having neglected his younger son; at being an illogically, but firmly, superstitious dad, who mixes business with family, insisting that his son spend time with him, watching the game, that the son holding the TV remotes in a particular manner, are key to winning the game & his bets, of which he makes a living; of a fabulous Robert De Niro, who leaves you exhausted, trying to find adjectives to describe his awesome talent – this absolutely adorable father, with a weird way of showing his love, is the same actor, from such heavy duty movies like ‘Raging Bull’, ‘Taxi Driver’ ... his extraordinary ability as an actor, deserves a better writer to wax eloquent over it!

Of Bradley Cooper proving that he’s more than a ‘Hangover!’ Playing the mentally stressed ex teacher, recently out of rehab, who hates taking his medication, has lost tons of weight, wears a garbage bag as a sweat suit while running, Cooper is funny, real, gets on your nerves & tugs at your heart strings, all in the same movie! A well deserved Golden Globe nomination!

The golden girl of ‘Hunger Games’, Jennifer Lawrence, who actually made us believe, that it was ok to kill fellow human beings, for a sport & TRP’s & left you hungry for more, proves that she ‘aint a one film wonder! The bold, bad, brassy young widow, who swops notes with Cooper on medication for mental illness, who wins you over with her no-nonsense, in your face attraction for Cooper (who takes time in realising that in his quest for rekindling his love for his ex, he has found true love) & you can’t wait to see what this fine actress will do next, because already with an Oscar & Golden Globe nomination under her belt, Ms Lawrence is marked for a long innings in Hollywood! A fierce, top-notch performance!

Apna Anupam Kher does Bollywood proud – the understated, firm psychiatrist, who steers Cooper to sanity, the passionate football player & a well meaning friend, Kher plays all the roles thrown to him, with equal ease, so real & believable!

The crackling chemistry – Cooper & Lawrence sizzle in the dance sequences &

actually, whenever they come together, the tender, helpless moments between mother & son, the take-your-parents- for-granted-familiar vibes, between a son back from rehab & parents trying to be optimistic about it, between shrink & patient, all add up to a movie that will surprise you, knock you out in a good way, with its characters, make you cheer on & believe that, yes, the road to ‘The End’ was messy, had plenty of speed breakers & kept you guessing, but in your heart you know that ‘they will all live, mostly, happily ever after!

Pati, Patni aur Ghost - Talaash!

I am still in "Talaash",of my reaction to the movie!

By now the suspense is yesterday’s news & gali-gali mein, everyone knows, that this is the story of a happy threesome - Pati, Patni aur Ghost; yaane ki, a cop (an intense & haunted Aamir Khan), who blames himself for the death of his son; pretty, hoarse voiced Rani, as the mother who tries to seek her son, through other mediums; & the porcelain perfect Kareena Kapoor, who valiantly attempts to play the crude brothel babe, but fails - don't get me wrong; a very decent actress, she essays her part earnestly & sweetly, but Bebo, you can’t shake off your Begum image!

Jab we watched the movie, we had no clue about the bhooth angle, so looked forward to deep, sinister secrets being revealed, quite enjoyed the mystery & eyed each character, appearing in the film, suspiciously! Then suddenly realisation dawned - we needed to see “What lies beneath!” I (loved the Michell Pfeiffer & Harrison Ford starrer) No human being could solve the case – enter the prettiest ghost in the history of Indian cinema!

Post seeing clips & videos of ‘Ayya’ which were thrust upon a disinclined janta, I dismissed Rani Mukherjee as a desperate, willing to do anything actress & those vulgar dance moves, which I have seen on TV,(unwillingly, I must add, except that I was too lazy to reach for the remote), haunted me!

So surprising, that between the two babes, I preferred Rani – looked lovely in those crumpled cotton saris; here, let me express another grouse about clichéd Indian phillums; this stereo type that when the heroine is happy, she wears western gear, in this case, Rani in jeans and a shirt, but the moment tragedy hits the screen, they turn to saris, like you can only mourn & feel sorrow, draped in six yards of fabric!

Overall Verdict – very decent, enjoyable movie; for every unexplained moment, Ms. Pretty Bhooth steps in usefully & fills the gaps. Like one ghost was not enough, we have Bhooth Junior make his entrance, as Aamir & Rani’s son & persuades papa dearest, to shake off all feelings of guilt, pleading that only then, Baby Boy Ghost can leave peacefully, to join Casper and the other friendly ghosts! Now we can hope, that maybe, Aamir will stop being rude to his guests & Rani will start ironing her saris again!

‘Talaash also made me eat humble pie! I had clever Sherlock Holmes moments, to solve the mystery & like Hercule Poirot, delved into human psychology, to find the culprit. My unfortunately saner & less excitable better half, somewhere mid-movie, mentioned ‘ghost’ & I dismissed his explanation, with Poirot’s signature arrogance! Well, as history tells us, pride goes before a fall & what a humiliating fall it was, when happy hubby’s theory was validated! A rare moment as husband & wife – for once, I had to admit that he was right! That dratted bhooth!!!

So as I said, good movie, interesting plot, obviously fabulous acting....
BUT did the movie require Aamir Khan – I don’t think so! This was a very Vikram Bhatt kind of phillum, gripping, thoda suspense, thoda drama and all that & I could imagine, say an Emran Hashmi, playing the lead role. Just socho, if the serial kisser had turned his attention on sad Rani & smooched her out of her senses, maybe she would have smiled and they would all have lived happily ever after!

Mr.Satyameva Jayate has set the bar so high & given, we the audience, such lofty expectations, that die-hard fans like me were left a tad disappointed! But then, the fan in me also allows this great actor a break of sorts – remember the ensemble cast of the oh-so-happy-feel-good-‘Mama Mia’, led by the one and only Meryl Streep, who said they had had a blast making the film & it showed! I for one sat in the theatre, watching ‘Mama Mia’ & lustily sang along loudly, much to the horror & utter humiliation of my partner-in-life! I consider it one of my achievements in life, that bees saal and more after being together,I still manage to make the man cringe!!!

Thumbs up for an interesting movie! I am now waiting for my ghost in shining armor, to make his/her, presence felt. I have a lot of issues in life that need to be sorted out & post Talaash, am in talaash of my friendly, neighbourhood ghost to appear and take care of mera problems too!

Certainly won’t find a place in the list of great Aamir Khan movies. Dude, when you have finished celebrating the birthday of that adorable son of yours, with a name that made me happy - Azad Rao Khan – get cracking on the Talaaash for a perfect script, to make a movie that will do justice to your talent. Kyonki, Mr. Khan, from you, Yeh Dil Maangey More!!!