LIFE OF PI: WIN MOVIE TICKETS

22 Oct 2012
Comments: 29
3411 Views

1

It’s that time of year again, when there’s an Oscar buzz in the air. One of the films that is definitely getting its fair share of mentions is Life of Pi. In a nutshell, it is the story of Pi, a teenage boy who has to spend more than 200 days in a lifeboat with a tiger. It sounds a little far-fetched, but believe us, it’s not. It will touch you and make you think in more ways than one.

What’s more, we’re giving away 10 double tickets just in time for the summer holiday, compliments of Nu Metro. To enter, tell us why you would like to see this film by commenting below.

Remember, Life of Pi will only be on Nu Metro’s screens on 21 December. We’ve seen the trailer (watch it here) and it looks amazing.

This competition is now closed. Congratulations to our lucky Life of Pi ticket winners; Tasmin Ranger, Kerryn Kiely, Nirma Madhoo, Samkelo Ngqokwe, Jordan, Andrea, Debbie Brenner, Susan Owen, Christie Wolmarans and Steve Reeve! We’ll be in touch shortly!

To whet your appetite, here’s an interview with the 19-year-old lead, Suraj Sharma, who is making his silver-screen debut in this fil by director Ang Lee.

Q: What is the basic story about?

A: ‘It is about Pi, a 16-year-old boy who grows up in a zoo in India with his family. They are forced to move to Canada and take their entire zoo with them on a ship. When it sinks, his whole family drowns and he is left alone on a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a tiger. Eventually he’s left with just the tiger (called Richard Parker) and he has to try to survive on the Pacific Ocean. To me, the story is about you how you can find hope in the craziest, most random of things and how you can build on that and save yourself from anything: from sadness, depression, fear. You just need to find something to believe in.’

Q: What was it like sharing the screen with a tiger, or several tigers (more than one were used to play Richard Parker)?

A: ‘There were four tigers of different sizes and personalities. We were never really filmed together but I spent up to six hours a day watching them being trained. I’d watch how they move and see how they would behave. I’d kind of map it my head so I would have a sense of how the tiger was going to react and what he was going through. When we were filming my scenes I would just imagine Richard Parker in front of me. It was hard but it was cool, like having an imaginary best friend. It used a weird combination of memory and imagination.’

Did you have to get fit for the role?
A: ‘When I first came to Taiwan [where the film was shot] I was a really skinny twig. There was no muscle on me. I didn’t have a straight back. It was really pathetic, in fact. Then I trained with the stunt guys. They taught me to swim and I had to learn to hold my breath under water for five minutes! I got stronger and had gained 13 kilos by the time we began shooting. Then I lost 14 [during the time Pi is out at sea]. My body changed unbelievably. For the time that I was “shipwrecked”, I was on this crazy tuna and salad diet and could not eat carbs. I had to drink electrolytes.’

Q: What was your life like before getting the role of Pi?
A: ‘It consisted of a routine: wake up, go to school, get shouted at by teachers, hang around with friends, come back, play football, eat and sleep. To some extent that was fun. That life was fun. It was carefree. Then everything changed. I grew so much. I was just a normal kid from Delhi before doing the movie.

Q: Have you changed?

A: ‘The experience has completely altered my perception of life. I have a lot more faith in life. I’ve become more confident. I’m more comfortable in myself. Now I want my whole life to be an adventure. I want every minute of my life to be challenging and exciting with things to overcome all the time.

Images: Nu Metro