Holliwoodification of Bollywood

Rating: 10/10 (29 November 2012)

Life of PI (2012)
Major Cast and Crew (on credit basis)
Director By: Ang Lee Written By: David Magee (Screenplay)
Yann Martel (Novel)
Lead Cast Pi Patel - Suraj Sharma (Protagonist) Adult Pi Patel - Irrfan Khan
Parallel Lead
11-12 years Pi Patel - Ayush Tondon 5 years Pi Patel - Gautam Belur Santosh Patel - Adil Hussain (Pi's Father) Gita Patel - Tabu (Pi's mother) Ravi Patel - Vibish Sivakumar (Pi's elder brother,18-19 years) Ravi (13-14 years) - Mohd Abbas Khaleeli Ravi (7 years) - Ayan Khan Writer - Rafe Spall
Supporting cast Anandi (Pi's beloved) - Sharvanthi Sainath Cook - Gerard Depardieu Insurance Investigators - James Saito, Jun Naito Mama Ji - Elie Alouf and others
Synopsis: An Indian man, relocated from Pondicherry to Canada, named Pi Patel narrates the story of his catastrophic voyage and sinking of a Cargo ship carrying his family and zoo animals to an author. In the Pacific Ocean on a life boat coterie by a Bengal tiger, named by a clerical blunder -Richard Parker, his only hope and companion who made 'the vegetarian Pi' catch fish to feed him and survive for a long, extricate and saved himself to be eaten by the tiger and abrogated by the sea.
Himmilicious Review: Heard since childhood "Where there's a will, there's a way" and "A straw supports a drowning man" Stendhal said "A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love" and the movie is all about Hope, Human expectation, Belief in 'Gods' or 'religions', fight for life,not quitting and positive approach.
Yes, Winners never quit and quitter never wins!
If it's movie, it's Hollywood and now this time in fraternization with Bollywood's impeccable actors Irrfan Khan, Tabu and a preeminent debut of nineteen years Delhi boy Suraj Sharma. and of course 'Mr.Richard Parker" Life of Pi is an adaptation of the book 'Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. The story was apparently unfilmable 'non-fictioned' fiction but Ang lee (the incredible 'hulk' director) did it. A teen abiding more than two hundred days on a life boat, being the only human survivor with a Bengal tiger who wants to eat him! I didn't read the book and came to know about it after the movie only. WOW! What an adventurous journey of a man left me speechless giving Goosebumps. It's another remarkable achievement in the account of the director, both creative and monetary. The film starts with narrative chit chat of Pi (known and bantered for long as Piscine Molitor Patel, named after a swimming pool in France by his broad chest- thin legs uncle) with the writer and goes into flashback and tells his experience. The young Pi develops inclination for multiple religions. He does not choose one over the other because the one who believes in one religion discards the other.(Maybe he wanted to be logical and rational and his parents helped him a lot in this) He made a witty sarcasm, he was a Muslim, a Christian, a Baptist too and of course a Hindu because they have approximately 330 million 'Gods' . He falls in love in the music class, his mother asked to join and eventually leaves without "satisfactory goodbye to Anandi- the almost love of his life" His father owns a zoo in Pondicherry and decided to relocate in Canada. They had all their animals, quite a large number of beasts. The ship sunk and somehow he managed to survive on a life boat with a zebra. Later he got to know that about the hidden Hyena and the Orangutan. The Hyena kills the zebra and the Orangutan. Finally with a 'solid entry in Bollywood style' the tiger appears and kills the Hyena who wants to kill Pi. (I think the tiger meant as a parable for how clashing cultures can learn to dwell without leaving their basic beliefs ) Then the journey of survival begins, to win over another species, to deal with unfavourable conditions, correct- incorrect decisions, the carnivorous jungle, ray of hope and not quitting. The thrilling focus is on visuals, Inspiring story and the movie bumbler part of insurance investigators.
"When you say truth, no one believes but when you lie, all believe" He makes another story to them because they're unsatisfied with Pi's tale. They beg for some "sensible-easy to believe" story, they accept and leave.. (He replaces the animals with human characters)
"so it goes with the god" ( psst psst remember OH MY GOD â€“ Religion is to believe what makes you feel logical)
I liked the movie.. You have your own interpretation. Go and watch it! You're going to love it!!
Irrfan with best of his enunciating expressions ornaments the movie.
My rating ***1/2