The Akeelah and the Bee is a movie which was released last year, and it's about a girl from south Los Angeles who has a lot of problems. She goes to a school which is low in it's standards, and Akeelah is that average student who gets ragged, and is really unpopular. But this young 11 year old has amazing talent...she can spell words really well. She gets selected to participate in the scripps National Spelling Bee. The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a real contest which takes place in Washington DC every year, and it's a really tough spelling contest for kids. I'm really deviating from the point here, but we need to be proud that in the year 2005, all the 3 finalists for the contest were Indians. Anyway, once Akeelah Gets selected, her life dramatically changes...suddenly, people start expecting her to win-and the little girl finds it so hard to deal with the preassure of things, studying etymology (did I spell that correctly?), and she wants to back out in the last moment. Then, her mother gives her the ultimate advise...that it is not the right thing to do. This is a heart warming story and it is not only about spelling--it's about endurance, of hanging on, it;s about the thirst to proove yourself even admist a bunch of serious problems, it's about overcoming your deficiencies...the sort of story which encourages you, to overcome all odds. Yet, the story is extremely realistic, and does not fail to create an impact.
It is still an entertainer, with a perfect blend of humour and fun. The story is simple, yet, in the simplicity you can find great lessons--it teaches, and that is the sort of thing one looks out for in a movie. For those of you who loved Iqbal, Black or Chak De, this is just the right movie for you....it preaches the same philosophy--that achievement is overcoming problems--and you don't have to be a super-hero to achieve. All you require is will-power, and self-belief and you can overcome anything in life. I encourage everyone to watch the movie...next time you visit the CD store don;t ask for those mindless superhero movies which make you feel stupid, look for movies like Akeelah and the Bee which shows everyone can be a super-hero because everyone is blessed with talent and suddenly, you'll find yourself feeling so special inside.
5 comments:
Great post, loved the review, very positive guidance from some one so young. Enjoyed reading this piece. I'm sure rest of your trip to the States will be just as enjoyable.
Hope you did not enjoy LA traffic. we hate it.anyway guess u liked ur Universal trip..
The funny thing is, after enduring the bangalore traffic, anything looks better. Sure enjoyed the visit. I'm returning home today.
I've been to LA once. Just loved the place. I must say there are more weird creatures there per square meter than the Brazilian rainforest.
At least four separate people accosted my wife and spoke warmly in Spanish. I guess she looks Hispanic. She was befuddled, especially the first time, when she was addressed by a overweight middled aged Mex mustached unkempt kind of bloke. I told her that I could understand a little Spanish and that he was proposing marriage.
After that she refused to leave my arm till a cousin taught her to say "No hablan Espanol"
Nice review, by the way. Must watch the movie
The thing about Mexicans and Indians is that we look almost alike. It's like trying to tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese. Spanish as a langauge has always fascinated me--I was using my trasnalator to learn Spanish in lunch with my freind Thunga at college--we got through most of the nouns, numbers and colours and then got bored. Anyway, I got updated with spanish words for stupid--that's tonto...I forgot what else...Spanish is a strange language.
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