So I finally got to watch Life of Pi last week and to say I loved it is an understatement. Life of Pi is a beautiful story – a visual adventure replete with rich fantasy and poignant moments. Suraj Sharma gives a fabulous performance as the young Pi. But most importantly, I was wonder struck and hugely inspired by a very powerful theme in the movie – the ability to create a silver lining out of a cloud. The saying ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’ is well-known. But no one knows if every cloud comes naturally with a silver lining or if it only lies in the eyes of the beholder. The movie starts off with the young Piscine coming up with an ingenious way to stop his classmates from calling him ‘pissing’ – he rebrands himself as Pi. This watershed incident then goes on to set the narrative of the whole movie. The adult Pi introduces the characters of the tiger, hyena, orangutan and zebra in the lifeboat replacing the more painful, tragic human characters. In the process, he creates a better story for himself and for the viewer. I wonder if a pinch of Pi in all of us would make life and living more worthwhile. The ability to use imagination, ingenuity and fantasy to create a silver lining in the cloud of every adversity should surely make life more beautiful. And in the process, create better stories and inspiring journeys.
Adult Pi Patel: So which story do you prefer?
Writer: The one with the tiger. That’s the better story.
Adult Pi Patel: Thank you. And so it goes with God.
Writer: [smiles] It’s an amazing story.
