Deeply-moving tribute to human spirit’s fortitude

An inquisitive writer (Spall) turns up unexpectedly at the door of Pi Patel (Khan), having been told the stranger’s life story deserves to be immortalised in print. In flashback, Pi recounts his youth as the son of a circus owner (Hussain), who decided to sell the family business in Pondicherry and emigrate to Canada with his wife Gita (Tabu) and two boys. A raging storm causes the Japanese freighter to overturn and young Pi (Sharma) escapes in a lifeboat along with a zebra, orang-utan, hyena and a tiger called Richard Parker. The rest of the clan, including Pi’s older brother Ravi (Sivakumar), perish at sea. As the days pass, the predators prevail until just Richard Parker and Pi remain, trapped together in a vast expanse of water. Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Yann Martel, Life Of Pi is a deeply-moving tribute to the endurance of the human spirit in the aftermath of senseless tragedy. Sharma is mesmerising, plucking our heartstrings in close-up as his character is flung repeatedly through the emotional wringer. He doesn’t strike a single false note and his relationship with the tiger is beautifully realised in tense, humorous and touching scenes. The cinematography ravishes the senses, enhanced by slick digital effects, which bring the menagerie of two- and four-legged species to life. Director Ang Lee’s vision is breathtaking and entire sequences have been masterfully choreographed to take full advantage of 3D, available exclusively on Blu-ray. He deservedly won this year’s Oscar, marshalling a dizzying array of elements with jaw-dropping ease.