- Joined
- Aug 22, 2012
- Messages
- 553
- Likes
- 539
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, found myself watching "Life of Pi"
in a half-empty theater, and not having read the book or reviews,
had an uneasy sense that the movie was either an art gem or a
hopeless flop.
The movie unfolds with the charms of the lovely Tabu as Pi's mother,
and an impossibly characterized Adil Hussain as Pi's father. The
movie revels and celebrates religious syncretism to an extent
that would have the monotheist fundamentalists scurrying for the exits.
Pi's mother recounts Yashodha being astonished at the universe in
baby Krishna's mouth, and Pi enjoys Amar Chitra Katha comics, that
can only be appreciated by older generations of Indians.
Pi is drawn to a Church and questions the nature of Jesus sacrifice
to the nonplussed priest, who has a standard answer - "faith".
Pi thanks Vishnu for bringing him to Christ, and expresses a desire to
be baptized, despite his agnostic father's admonishment that you can't
follow multiple religions simultaneously.
Pi is also drawn to the local mosque and copies their prayer styles.
Then begins the life-changing journey of Pi, finding himself marooned
at high seas in a life-boat with the company of a Bengal tiger. The
subsequent episodes highlight the movie's strong Hindu message,
both implicitly and explicitly.
In one scene, after Pi barely escapes the tiger's attack, stranded
on a makeshift raft, reasons as only a Hindu would - that the tiger's
nature is to kill and eat - for that is his Karma. Unencumbered by
a philosophy that would put man in charge of all animals (thus in a
position to decide the tiger's fate), Pi proceeds to do the unthinkable
for a vegetarian - catch a fish, and kill it, to feed the tiger, despite
the knowledge that keeping the tiger alive is suicidal for Pi: there could
not be a better implicit message of duty/dharma. His breakdown at killing
a fish is an explicit ode to the Dharmic credo of ahimsa.
The trails and tribulations that follow with forlorn Christian and
Islamic messages are perhaps the author's attempt to seek the divine
from a syncretized viewpoint that is only possible in a Hindu, and
would have monotheists squirming in their seats.
So how would the average viewer on this forum like this movie, that on
the surface seems to be proclaiming the superficial Hindu's message of
"all religions are equal"? Pi's rationalist father has an answer: "faith is a
house with many rooms". Pi's wandering of the rooms at will captures the
Hindu's freedom, unshackled by dogma, of exploring divinity from a Hindu
lens, while remaining grounded in Dharmic faith.
Pi's father eloquently says: "you are only seeing your own emotions
reflected in the wild tiger; it is not benevolent at all" (rephrased).
Pi learns this message at the end of his painful journey.
The Hindu's nurturing of Abrahamic creeds in his environs - hoping to
see a (non-existent) reflection of his sensibilities in the Abrahamic
creeds - subtly captures this message, but will surely be lost in
the difference-anxiety ridden majority.
Or perhaps I am only taking away the message I want to see, reflected
by my own sensibilities
Don't miss this one, and see it in 3D if you can. Thumbs-up to director Ang Lee
for this magnificent melding of cinematography with computer imagery.
Raj Vedam
Yahoo! Groups
in a half-empty theater, and not having read the book or reviews,
had an uneasy sense that the movie was either an art gem or a
hopeless flop.
The movie unfolds with the charms of the lovely Tabu as Pi's mother,
and an impossibly characterized Adil Hussain as Pi's father. The
movie revels and celebrates religious syncretism to an extent
that would have the monotheist fundamentalists scurrying for the exits.
Pi's mother recounts Yashodha being astonished at the universe in
baby Krishna's mouth, and Pi enjoys Amar Chitra Katha comics, that
can only be appreciated by older generations of Indians.
Pi is drawn to a Church and questions the nature of Jesus sacrifice
to the nonplussed priest, who has a standard answer - "faith".
Pi thanks Vishnu for bringing him to Christ, and expresses a desire to
be baptized, despite his agnostic father's admonishment that you can't
follow multiple religions simultaneously.
Pi is also drawn to the local mosque and copies their prayer styles.
Then begins the life-changing journey of Pi, finding himself marooned
at high seas in a life-boat with the company of a Bengal tiger. The
subsequent episodes highlight the movie's strong Hindu message,
both implicitly and explicitly.
In one scene, after Pi barely escapes the tiger's attack, stranded
on a makeshift raft, reasons as only a Hindu would - that the tiger's
nature is to kill and eat - for that is his Karma. Unencumbered by
a philosophy that would put man in charge of all animals (thus in a
position to decide the tiger's fate), Pi proceeds to do the unthinkable
for a vegetarian - catch a fish, and kill it, to feed the tiger, despite
the knowledge that keeping the tiger alive is suicidal for Pi: there could
not be a better implicit message of duty/dharma. His breakdown at killing
a fish is an explicit ode to the Dharmic credo of ahimsa.
The trails and tribulations that follow with forlorn Christian and
Islamic messages are perhaps the author's attempt to seek the divine
from a syncretized viewpoint that is only possible in a Hindu, and
would have monotheists squirming in their seats.
So how would the average viewer on this forum like this movie, that on
the surface seems to be proclaiming the superficial Hindu's message of
"all religions are equal"? Pi's rationalist father has an answer: "faith is a
house with many rooms". Pi's wandering of the rooms at will captures the
Hindu's freedom, unshackled by dogma, of exploring divinity from a Hindu
lens, while remaining grounded in Dharmic faith.
Pi's father eloquently says: "you are only seeing your own emotions
reflected in the wild tiger; it is not benevolent at all" (rephrased).
Pi learns this message at the end of his painful journey.
The Hindu's nurturing of Abrahamic creeds in his environs - hoping to
see a (non-existent) reflection of his sensibilities in the Abrahamic
creeds - subtly captures this message, but will surely be lost in
the difference-anxiety ridden majority.
Or perhaps I am only taking away the message I want to see, reflected
by my own sensibilities
Don't miss this one, and see it in 3D if you can. Thumbs-up to director Ang Lee
for this magnificent melding of cinematography with computer imagery.
Raj Vedam
Yahoo! Groups