Comparative Narrative Analysis of "Life of Pi," "Slumdog Millionaire," and Nithilan Saminathan's "Maharaja."

   Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog! In this post, we explore the complex weaves of storytelling as portrayed in "Life of Pi," "Slumdog Millionaire," and Nithilan Saminathan's "Maharaja." This analysis, tasked by Dilip Sir for a studio activity in 'An Introduction to Film Studies,' This analysis explores the distinctive narrative frameworks that characterize enthralling stories. 

           

Understanding Narrative Frames: 

 A narrative frame is the structure through which a story is presented to the audience. It encompasses the chronological order, point of view, and the overall shape of the story. Each of these films employs a distinct narrative frame that contributes significantly to their thematic depth and emotional impact.

1. life of pi:

The narrative structure of "Life of Pi" is a frame story, where the older Pi narrates his incredible journey to a writer. This framing device creates a layer of distance between the audience and the events, allowing for reflection and interpretation. The main narrative, Pi's survival at sea, is told chronologically but is interspersed with flashbacks to his childhood in Pondicherry. This structure allows for a gradual reveal of Pi's character and background, enriching the main story. The dual-ending structure, where Pi offers two versions of his story, adds an additional layer of complexity, challenging the audience's perception of truth and reality.

2. Slumdog Millionaire

   

 A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers.

Non-linear Narrative Structure:

• Slumdog Millinaire uses several flashback sequences to explain how Jamal ended up in the gameshow “Who wants to be a Millinaire?” and he, a kid from the slums, knows all the answers. 
• The sjuzhet of the film moves from Jamal as an adult to his childhood memories. Each memory is connected to his experience and knowledge that allows him to answer the questions in the game show.
•  The movie also flash forwards to show the confessional scenes of Jamal being interrogated

Anatomy of a scene:

 

 In this flashback scene, we see Jamal’s mother killed during an attack against the Muslims. Because Jamal and his family are Muslims, they are not familiar with the Hindu gods, and thus leads us to question how Jamal is going to answer the game show question in present time: What does the god Rama hold in his hand? The answer to the question is reveal in this flashback scene. Jamal sees the blue child, dressed as Rama, and thereby is able to recall what the Hindi god holds.

Effectiveness of flashbacks Character development:

Jamal develops from the young, obedient little brother to the independent, determined brother. 

Allows the audience to understand how Jamal’s entire life has provided him with answers, and more importantly, the answers to the game show. 

The flashbacks also show how Jamal’s love for Latika develops from childhood to adulthood. It demonstrates how much he loves her, and to what lengths he will go to be with her.

3 "Maharaja":

 

Plot:

 The film revolves around Maharaja (Vijay Sethupathi), a humble barber who is the antithesis of his grand name. Leading a simple life, Maharaja is a single father raising his daughter after losing his wife in an accident. His world revolves around his daughter and his salon, with an unusual attachment to a trash bin named Lakshmi, which once saved his daughter's life. 

The plot thickens when Maharaja reports the theft of this beloved trash bin to the police, leading to a series of exploitative and bizarre interactions. The villain, played by Anurag Kashyap, is introduced as a character capable of heinous crimes yet deeply attached to his family. The mystery of the trash bin and its connection to the villain forms the crux of the story, exploring themes of fatherly love and societal issues.

Narrative structure: 

The narrative of Maharaja unfolds in different timelines, manipulating and controlling the audience's expectations and reactions to the events. Nithilan Swaminathan first makes us believe that we are following events happening in the present. We hope to see a terrifying face-off between Sethupathi's Maharaja and Anurag Kashyap's Selvam in upcoming scenes. We imagine how Maharaja will meet Selvam for the first time and wonder if he will identify Selvam as the man who caused him irrevocable damage to his family. But Nithilan throws a curveball when he shows that Maharaja and Selvam crossed paths many years ago, and the misunderstandings and nagging suspicions from that meeting continue to shape their actions and reactions today.

Nallasivam is symbolized as "The Snake":

Snakes, in a general sense, symbolize a lot of things, but the film uses them to portray the venomous and deceptive nature of human beings. People like Nallasivam, the corrupt police officer, are like venomous snakes lurking in the dark. He pretended to be a police officer while, in reality, he was working with a murderous thief, Selvam. Nallasivam’s police uniform was nothing but a snake’s skin that the man used to shed at night so that he could reveal his true identity. And when no one was really looking, Nallasivam would come out of the hole and attack the people who believed him to be a protector of the law.

As per the film’s timeline, the snake made its first appearance when he snuck into Maharaja’s house after his daughter, Jothi, was hospitalized. Earlier that night, a personified version of this snake, Nallasivam had slipped into Maharaja’s home and raped his daughter. 

Major Events in "Maharaja":

Selvam Lives A Dual Life

There is no doubt that the Maharaja film was a turning point in Anurag Kashyap’s career; he pulled off such a complex character with grace. In daylight, Selvam portrays himself as a hardworking man who runs a hardware store, Kokhila Electricals, and he lives a peaceful life with his wife and daughter, Ammu. But at night, the devil comes out of hiding and he robs people’s houses with his store’s worker, Sabari. However, stealing isn’t the end of Selvam’s crimes. He would often let Sabari sexually abuse their victims and, in the end, kill the innocent individuals so that they wouldn’t be able to report them to the police in the future. And while Selvam is flourishing in his criminal career and buying expensive gifts for his daughter’s upcoming birthday, Vijay Sethupathi’s character, Maharaja, earns a decent living. He works as a barber in Ramki Saloon, which is later visited by Selvam.

Maharaja’s Family Is Dead

A few days (or months) after Selvam’s arrest, Maharaja arrived at Selvam’s house to return the gold pendant that he forgot at his shop on that fateful day. His wife had sent him to buy a gift for young Ammu, and while Maharaja was standing at the gift store, a truck ran into Selvam’s house, thereby killing Selvam’s wife and Maharaja’s wife and daughter. Only Ammu survived the accident as Laxmi, the dustbin, fell upon her and saved her life. In the absence of any parent to take care of Ammu, Maharaja adopted her and raised the girl as his own.

A Time Jump

Some 13 years later, Maharaja started his own barbershop, Jothi Saloon, so as to provide for his daughter’s education and give her the best life he could afford. As the film began, Jothi informed the viewers she would be going out of the city for a week to attend a sports camp. It is from here that the film became non-linear. Jothi left for camp somewhere around 12th February and came back on 19th February when Maharaja wasn’t at home. In between this week, one can assume that Selvam was released from prison along with Dhana, the mechanic, who might’ve been in the same prison as Selvam, and that’s how the two knew each other. As soon as Selvam came out, he decided to take revenge on Maharaja and, therefore, instructed his minions to find his location.

Selvam Attacks Jothi

On the night of 19th February, Selvam and his partners, Dhana and the police cop Nallasivam, broke into Maharaja’s house while Jothi was there alone. In this scene, Dhana was wearing the Kunal glasses that he had stolen from the guy who had given his car for service. The two men, Dhana and Nallasivam, raped Jothi and left her to die, believing her condition would destroy the man who was responsible for Selvam’s arrest. And that was indeed what happened. Maharaja was crushed to the core. He quickly took Jothi to the hospital and returned to the house to find clues about the men who abused his daughter.

Laxmi Was Never Stolen

Laxmi, the dustbin, was never stolen from Maharaja’s house. Maharaja had hidden the bucket under Jothi’s hospital bed while he went to the police to report that it was stolen. His reason for doing so was simple. Maharaja needed a reason to hang around the local police station so that he could find out the corrupt cop responsible for his daughter’s condition.

Selvam Kills Himself

 

 The police even helped Maharaja get the whereabouts of the third guy, who was none other than Selvam himself. Maharaja didn’t waste a moment and arrived at the construction site where Selvam used to work. The ending of the film was a face-off between the two fathers. Selvam was the kind of leech who thrived on other people’s treasure. Maybe he didn’t realize that his karma might one day fall upon the very same daughter for whom he had been committing those crimes.

Comparative Observations:

Similarities:

• All three films employ some form of framing device, creating a layer of reflection and interpretation.
• Each narrative involves a journey of personal growth and self-discovery.
• The past plays a crucial role in shaping the present in all three stories.

Differences:

• "Life of Pi" and "Slumdog Millionaire" use more complex, non-linear structures, while "Maharaja" appears to follow a more traditional linear progression.
• "Slumdog Millionaire" interweaves multiple timelines throughout, while "Life of Pi" primarily uses flashbacks within a linear main narrative.
• The nature of the framing devices differs: "Life of Pi" uses a writer as an intermediary, "Slumdog Millionaire" uses a game show and police interrogation, and "Maharaja" seems to use direct protagonist reflection.

Conclusion: 

The narrative frames of "Life of Pi," "Slumdog Millionaire," and "Maharaja" demonstrate the diverse ways in which stories can be constructed and presented. From the philosophical musings of "Life of Pi" to the fast-paced, rags-to-riches tale of "Slumdog Millionaire," and the character-driven narrative of "Maharaja," each work uses its structure to enhance themes, engage audiences, and create memorable cinematic experiences. By examining these narratives side by side, we gain insight into the power of storytelling techniques and their ability to shape our understanding and emotional response to a film.

Thank you!!