'Pi is the tiger' and other analysis

Rating: 10/10 (27 November 2012)

I watched the movie 'Life of Pi' today, it was fascinating. I was not able to think while the movie was playing because the incredible imagery continuously running in front of me, didn't provide me with the sufficient time to think. Yes, the book says that he was stranded in the sea for 277 days, well, the movie showed this extent of 277 days in less than 2 hours. Though, the story is fictional (yeahh! I know it says that this is based on a true story), so imagination has a greater scope. But, in the second attempt of his story, he implies that he was the tiger who ate the co-passengers in his life-boat, including his mother, the cook and whosoever he states were with them. Even in the first scene, where the hyena attacked the zebra and the orangutan, it angered Pi. Pi rose to attack it and suddenly, a Tiger catapulted itself to the open and attacked it. This may symbolize that the tiger in Pi rose to life at that moment. Well, remember what Pi's father had told him when for the first time he made an attempt to feed flesh to the tiger. Can't remember the quote word-to-word, but it did mention that you can see your emotions in the eyes of the tiger. Blah! The child (Pi, of course), who has digested 3 religions at once could also assimilate the very notion that 'the reflection-of-emotions' can be vice verse i.e., the tiger's emotions could reflect within him too (Read this line twice to make better sense of it).
Next, it killed and ate the hyena first. As that was the time when he was experimenting with new meat, he tried the human flesh (as they were dead). Please note, 277 days! So, he ate his mother and then the cook (don't remember the other character he mentioned though). So here we see, that Pi became cannibalistic. Later on, he hunted fish and ate them for the next few days. I was not able to think all this when the movie was running because the scenes were running so fast, that, I hardly got the time to digest any of it. That is why Hollywood (I dono under what category this movie comes under) movies seem believable, because, it doesn't give you the time to think.
The visit to the Carnivore Island was the best part of the movie for me, just for its sheer representation of multiple symbolism. One thing I noticed was that it characterized Lord Vishnu, who is sleeping in the ocean on Anantha (the poisonous snake). The very reason that the roots of the trees were entangled and looked as though it was crawling represented this very notion of the snake. The image over all, looked like a person sleeping - Lord Vishnu. It represented his form (the island) to be the life-giver in the morning (when the Lord must be sleeping), while at night, the island becomes acidic and kills all life forms on it, the Lord is asleep then, the poisonous snake feature is activated. So, this must be one of the crazy ideas behind this (and yes, I appreciate it). Well, heard a myth that the Tirumala hills which has the Tirupathi temple in its abode, which is in Andhra Pradesh, India. This temple has 7 hills surrounding it. Some amazing person found the shape of the hill to be the shape of the Tirupathi Venkateshwara's face. You can have a look at the picha (in the link below). The Carnivorous island has a similar concept as that of the pic of the hills. Well, there is a saying/belief that one day, all the wild (carnivorous) animals would come down this hill and attack humans. This will happen when the Lord would wake up. Don't worry it is a saying.
The very reason Pi-fellow could come up with such a fascinating story is because, he has read 3 religious texts and understood the best way to narrate a thing that could sound realistic and yet exploit the reader/viewer's brain. This maybe the link with his interest with the religious text, and the dichotomy of being a cannibal.
While watching the movie it made me feel that Pi is so heroic and he had survived it all. But, now I feel bitter for his act of cannibalism. His lies/truth... blah! it is a fiction. No need to ponder anymore. Well, I loved the movie and I will be watching it again. *giggles*