Prepare for Awesomeness !!

A sleepy Sunday, I got a call from one of my childhood friends with an invite of sorts to a school reunion of sorts. Social obligations made me go out in the depressing monsoon weather, to meet strangers whom I had not been in touch ever, except for occasional pass-through each other’s lives.
A hesitant me, agreed to watch the recently released movie, “Kung Fu Panda”, with them. The last day disaster with the movie “Hancock” was not exactly acting as an aphrodisiac for this movie. Yet as with me, I couldn’t help shelling out the money for the tickets, though with a heavy heart.
Let me describe the movie in one word, fanta-bulous. Well this is not my style of telling a story (I usually build up, suppressing the climax till the very end), but then the movie was indeed a great one. Like others of its kind, the movie was well-made, hilarious and tailor-made for all generations alike. Yet like others of its kind, it had strong messages. This is what I love about these movies. Directed towards toddlers, subliminal messages do go a long way in character formation and development.
On a lighter note, back to the story. Set in the typical pop-corny Hongkong style Chinese settings, the settings itself had me in splits from the word go. In the first scene itself, the panda goes on a rampage and saves a lot of people. The peasants overpowered by his “sheer awesomeness” want to repay his kindness, the kung fu panda replies, “Awesomeness can’t be repaid, and neither can attractiveness” :))
The panda character played by Jack Black is one of the most adorable ever made on screen, the last one being little penguin chick in “Happy feet”. Girls couldn’t help go gaga over the picturisation of the character, the fact well established by one female spectator sitting just behind me. Quite annoying at times, still she managed to prove this well enough that Po was “Awww so damnnnn Cutteeee” :)
Message no 1: Dream big
A noodle vendor by profession, Po couldn’t help dream big. He always imagines himself as the great warrior feared and revered by all.
Each one of us is molded by our environment and circumstances, yet few dare to think beyond their limits. Middle-Class breeds middle class. Yet people like Dhirubhai can embrace their dreams to the extent of realizing them.
As Po’s father tells him,”Broth flows in our veins!!”, situations and circumstances favor our accepting our status quo in life.
Message no – 2: Accidents never happen
The message was harped repeatedly in the movie. Maybe my tryst with my friends and finally landing up to watch the movie was no accident after all. JJ
Something similar to mine, though not as miniscule in magnitude, the panda finds himself thrust in the middle of things with the master turtle declaring him as the dragon warrior and a very mean bad guy destined to get free from a high security prison (guarded by rather cute rhinos) and trying to create havoc with the peace of the land.
Po struggles to get in terms with the co-incidence that had just happened. A singularity that runs through each of us, leads us to our fate. Our choices make us realize them sooner or later. Being afraid to accept new challenges may change the way fate has destined things for us.
Like you can say that world would have very different had the Axis powers would have won the Second World War. But for one thing the world would still have existed.
Message 3: Always believe in yourself and never quit
Quoting from the Alchemist (though not verbatim), as we near our dreams, that's when most of the hindrances arise. Po, by chance or fortune, became what he wanted. Yet almost everyone else didn’t believe in him. Situation was such that the most optimal solution would have been to quit and be the same noodleir that he always was.
Moreover his countenance was not apt for the kind of role he was chosen for. A fat blobby panda was not exactly the idea of what a dragon warrior should look like. The monkey says,” he can’t even look at his own toes” shows the magnamity of discrepancy.
Yet Po believed in himself. He believed in everything that fate had bestowed on him.
Like he says to his master, “” I am doing this because I don’t want to be me.”
He was beaten, bashed, abused, ridiculed and yet in all his cuteness, Po never quit. As his master said, ’He just wouldn’t quit!!”
Message 4: There is no secret recipe
There was never a secret recipe. There is no fountain of youth. There is no elixir to life. There is no Santa Claus. Yet everyone likes to believe in them. A way to show what is elusive, of what you don’t believe to be within you. The panda didn’t have any magical powers, nether he got any when he received the dragon scroll.
Yet he realized that whatever needs to be done has to be done by oneself. There are no divine interventions or lucky preludes. Accepting it is the best way to realize oneself. Po did and became the greatest kung fu master that ever was.
Master 5: Keep it simple stupid :)

Like the mention in the sub-title of my blog, life is simple and so are we. Great are those who enjoy the simplicities of life without trying to twist it with their own machinations.
Enjoying life’s little pleasures made Po all so special. A simple panda who became extraordinary and managed to achieve his dreams by being what he really was.

Simple ….. isn’t it??
(BTW I have a cute Kung Fu Panda action figure adorning my table- thanks to a McDonald's Happy Meal :))