Movie review: The Life of Pi, an adventure you don't wanna miss

New Delhi: Rating-3.5/5 starsCast: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Rafe Spall, Adil HussainDirection: Ang LeeNever lose hope, never give up, and believe in God. Have faith in Him. The words would be encouraging to give you a boost to fight till the end. Moreover, it would interest you if you witness the Oscar winning director Ang Lee's “The Life of Pi”, a boy who is in the centre of the Pacific Ocean on a life boat for survival among animals and finally triumphs over death along with a Royal Bengal tiger.The show opens with the older Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel aka Pi, played by the very talented Irrfan Khan, preparing meal in his house for an author portrayed by English actor Rafe Spall.The author is sent by Pi's swimmer uncle to discover the unbelievable life story for his book. Pi goes down his memory lane to reveal the story. And is taken back to Pondicherry, known as a French part of India, where he is born to his mother played by Tabu and Dad played by Adil Hussain and also has an elder brother, who is a crazy cricket player. But Pi is more into religious activities. His primarily swing in belief from one religion to another might be mockery for his family as in one scene , his dad rubbishes his act by remarking that focusing or respecting different gods is like respecting none of them and you are not focused. But Pi follows his heart and gives his father's remark a miss.His dad owns a zoo having numerous mammals but is soon trapped by loss. Unable to overcome their poor finances they decide to sell off their animals abroad which are highly in demand there and give their life a new kick start. But before they begin with a new journey their ship is drowned in the deathly deep of Pacific Ocean after it is hit by a deadly storm. All commuters traveling are drowned in the Pacific leaving Pi and few animals including a zebra, orangutan, hyena and a Royal Bengal tiger. With just these mammals and a life boat, the man vs wild show follows Pi's way. Along with Pi we witness some of the real terrifying experiences of survival. It's purely nature, as hyena is the first one to go wild and knock down the zebra and thereafter the monkey to keep going. Though it's enjoyable to watch out all this stuff on Discovery channel, this scene gives you a lump in your heart.But later this beast is run down by the hidden tiger on the life boat. It is for sure a struggle for the survival but as Pi remarks ‘such situation makes one know more of him'. His faith in God is never shaken.He discovers fish (to feed his only friend Tiger) from the ocean and thanks Lord Vishnu for approaching him in this form. He discovers a human sleeping, curved island like a heaven which becomes deadlier at nights. Finding a man's tooth he leaves that island considering another God's sign to continue his journey, as he had enough pleasant time. Nothing to eat, just the salty ocean water in his menu, the feeble Pi continues along with Tiger futher. Above all he never loses hope, never gives up; his fighting spirit speaks aloud its message.And just when this long haired, weak Pi is about to give up, he lands on a beach and is taken care of by a few natives. But he complains and screams loud for an imperfect farewell to his friend Tiger who doesn't look back and vanishes into the jungle.The director has made a masterpiece out of one of the best selling novel 'Life of Pi' by Canadian author Yann Martel. As the novel delights you with its words, the flick keeps you glued to your seat till the end. The thunderstorm and the drowning scenes chills you with fright. These would surely remind you of some similar moments from Titanic and Poseidon Adventure.The best part is the cinematography and its direction. Its a delight to watch silent scenes of oceans at nights while the sunny days gives Pi some work for survival. Deep seawater scenes, the unseen, the tiny and the tougher fishes, the bigger the beautiful whales offers you some heart warming scenes. The full moon view adds more to the beauty. The script is magical and its characters make it more believable. Irrfan Khan plays it great with his American dialect, though not perfect but doesn't distract from the beauty of the film. And surely the actor is getting comfort in such foreign flicks.Tabu as Pi's mother, though has very less but does justice to her role.But the actual heroism is reflected in young debutant Suraj Sharma who, with his perfect delivery of acts, discovers life within him. He brings you close to himself and takes you on an unbelievable but unforgettable surviving journey.His innocent acts are high on emotion as well as humorous at times. Surely this Delhi guy needs to stay in the film industry but time will tell for how long. If we look at the loopeholes, there aren't many, except the flick could have been trimmed a bit, as you might feel bored with just oceanic scenes being followed. I will go 3.5/ 5 stars for Oscar winning director Ang Lee's masterpiece with its beautiful portrayal of emotions and watery scenes. Surely you will fall in love with Pi, and this might deepen your faith in God.