NaaahTsivenyahFavaNitsiBabah begins and you have goosebumps, childhood memories come flooding back and you are transported to the Saharan Desert and Pride Rock.
You see King Mufasa on Pride Rock and all the animals bowing to him and now Rafiki brings forth Simba and the skies clear to spread light on the heir apparent.
The movie created by Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers is a loose adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy ‘Hamlet’. It is crafted with such precision and care, it somehow transcends the fourth wall and draws the audience in, and emotionally drains you. One moment you are joining Nala, Simba and Zazu singing ‘I just can’t wait to be king’ and the next you are sobbing when Simba is prodding his dead father pleading him saying, “Dad we gotta go home”.
The reason this movie will stand the test of time is because everything from the characters of Simba and Scar till Timon and Pumba and Shenzi, Banzai and Ed are all an inerasable part of our memories. It deals with themes that cross all boundaries and appeal to every human being. The humour is witty and charming and at the heart of the movie is the perfect music composed by Elton John and Tim Rice which is intricately intertwined with the plot.
The Lion King was a teacher in my childhood, teaching me things that have taken me a long way; taught me things I go back to Lion King to learn, about peaceful coexistence, the need to achieve a balance in life, that we are all connected in the “Great Circle of Life”, ‘Hakuna Matata’ and to not run from your past but learn from it.
Image Courtesy – Disney Movies
Written by Kshaema Susan Mathew
