Mahavatar Narsimha - The Power of Myth
The skeptics among us will pass it off as a fable. The orthodox will argue for its historic significance. But, to the rest of us, the ever popular story of the Man-Lion form of Vishnu will forever kindle our curiosity, and our faith.
It is that spirit of instilling faith, particularly in the young, that first-time director Ashwin Kumar brings this incredible story straight from the pages of Srimad Bhagavatha Purana to the big screen. The limited budget is obvious in the quality of the CGI. But that does not take away from being enchanted by the prodigious little boy who, with faith as his only shield, promotes a peaceful revolution against tyranny and violence.
Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu are both befitting how the Purana describes them, sadistic, hardhearted, oppressive. The latter is worse than his twin, his desire for godhood poisoning his very being and causing nothing but suffering for his supportive wife and their young son.
The other characters, however, do come across odd, the fellow little boys look too tribal, the female characters are too picture perfect. But, what we are seeing is what Veda Vyasa wants us to see, an otherwise good world being torn to bits by megalomaniacs who seek nothing more than self-aggrandizement. Two crazy men who together own everything, but wanting all the more - nah...um, well.
Ancient mythology is seen by great thinkers as not being mere storytelling, but actually a psychological and emotional journey into our own humanity. It is understanding reality for all its raw emotion, its confusing moral dilemmas, and often times solutions that could only be seen as miracles. In this case there is only one miraculous solution to befit a man who dares abuse a child - Narasimha!
The audience's goosebumps are visceral, some even fighting back tears. as the Great Lion leaps out of the pillar, His Frighteningly Angry Form expressing to what extent the Supreme Being will go to help those whom He Considers His Own. Such Kindness cannot be repaid, nor fully explained. And, there is little other explanation for the miraculous power of this movie, what to say of The God.
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sengaNALi ittiRainjum singavEL kunRudaiya
engaL Isan empirAnai irundhamizh nURpulavan
mangaiyALan mannu thol sIr vaNdaRai thArkkaliyan
sengaiyALan senjol mAlai vallavar thIdhilarE
-- Periya Thirumozhi 1.7.10
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