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?