Cast: Suraj Sharma, Irfan Khan, Adil Hussain, Tabu and the Tiger as “Richard Parker”

Director: Ang Lee

Rating: 4/5

Movie Reviewed at: PVR Cinemas, Udaipur

Life of Pi is a master piece by Ang Lee adapted from Yann Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel. Lee has enhanced the novel’s power, employing 3-D with such originality that there are moments when the ocean seems to float around you. And when a certain tiger roars, you may well jump. Since Avatar, it’s the only film which uses 3D to great effect.

As magnetic as Lee’s boundary-breaking visuals are, that wouldn’t be enough to carry the film if it was not anchored by such an electrifying tale. The core is the 200 days Pi spends in the lifeboat, where he fights, survives and develops a deep emotional relationship with a Tiger which is beyond words and unexplainable. These all things get you into the Film.

The story is about a 16 year old boy Piscine Molitor Patel (Suraj Sharma), named after his uncle’s favourite swimming pool in Paris.

Pi, as he nicknames himself, lives in Pondicherry with his parents who own a zoo. The family decides to move to Canada along with their exotic animal in the zoo and board a ship. A massive storm causes the ship to sink. Only Pi and a Tiger named Richard Parker survive, leaving them stuck on a lifeboat in the middle of Pacific Ocean.

The Story is narrated in flashback by older Pi (Irfan Khan) to a visitor at his home, who (the visitor) wants to write a book about the incredible experiences and a series of events which young Pi went through when he was left stranded in the middle of the sea with a crouching Bengal Tiger.

We also come across a very interesting aspect that how a very young boy who is raised as a Hindu, also embraced Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism and then a question arises, is it what we all should do for peace and harmony. Think on it !!! . He prays to god as he struggles to stay alive under such trying circumstances. The director is trying to preach some lessons on spirituality here, and the good thing is that these lessons make you think.

The tiger, in particular, is the film’s most stunning creation, realized entirely through computer-generated special effects. There are some sheer jaw-dropping moments of beauty which are hallmark of the film, like a scene in the night in which the ocean is illuminated by colourful fishes.

When Pi submits himself to the almighty and you think it’s over, there’s another surprise treat for your eyes, Pi finds himself near a Floating island where you get an insight of a totally different world. Another stunning sequence is one in which Pi and the tiger encounter a cluster of flying fishes and it’s amazing to experience it all in 3D.

Life of Pi is a film that sinks you into the soul of the story and you get a feel of the difficulties the character in the film faces. The photography is beautiful which showcases the mysteries and the dangers and the wonders of the seas.

Suraj Sharma as the main lead has done an outstanding job especially in some sequences where he tries to controls the ferocious and roaring Bengal Tiger. All the other characters perfectly fit into the set up, Adil Hussain and Tabu as Pi’s parents bring some maturity on to the screen.

Overall Life of Pi is a type of film which you have never seen before and it ought to be seen just for its sheer elegance and scenic pleasure which it gives to your eyes.