Ship Of Theseus

A 2012 Indian Drama 

Dose the most hardened, money-minded professional have a conscience? What would you go through if you were blind for a long time, and could suddenly see? Would a dying monk choose his life over his values?

Those were the questions resounding in my head after I watched Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus. In an age where weak plots and 3D movies rule the box office, Ship of Theseus stood out for me as an exemplary film that plunged unapologetically into questions we young ‘uns secretly want to think about. I say “secretly” because today’s society visibly urges us to be a little dumber and more materialistic every day. We wouldn’t use two cells of our grey matter before buying that skin-whitening cream that supposedly ensures we have a happy life, or that laptop that should instantly help us find our dream job.

But would we spend time understanding the moral dilemma and physical pain of a man, and a woman who must shun their beliefs in order to survive? Or would we try to understand a blind photographer, who after having an operation that allows her to see, discovers that she can no longer turn out the brilliant photographs that she used to? Closer to home, what you do if the new kidney you received turned out to be stolen from a poor man living in a slum?

These are not just hypothetical situations, but the realities of a complex India – the India that we are getting into. Things are no longer black and white, but in shades of grey. What will set us apart as people is how we deal with these complex life situations. To be able to analyse such things, there is just one solution – for us to practice a healthy habit of thinking.

It’s never too soon to start thinking. Begin today. Watch Ship of Theseus.

Excerpted from The Chronicle, a newspaper produced by students of Commits Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication, Bangalore