Going to see Avatar today and intrigued by the similarities between the look of the Na'vi and the depiction of Avatars in Indian Art. For a better look click on the picture (above) of a painting of Radha-Krishna alongside a still from the movie. Wonder if the the similarities stop at the surface level or go deeper? Will have to wait to see the movie to figure that out!!The phenomenal success of the movie makes me wonder if Indian motifs are finally ready to go mainstream. That's very exciting for a fantasy/historical writer like myself who loves those themes/motifs. Another depiction of Krishna below.
Apologies for not siting sources. Will have to hunt down the images and give due credit ...Hmmm ... now that I think of it, even Critter (see previous post) looks a bit like the Na'vi!! At least as far as the blue skin !
10 comments:
You're right that there really is a similarity. I wonder if that was intentional at all. I saw the movie right after it came out. I'll be interested to hear what you think of it!
Now that you've the pics side by side, it's easy to see the similarities. Someone else said that Avatar is Pochahontas for blue people. I haven't seen it yet so I can't comment.
Yup, the blue people reminded me of our Indian blue Krishna ... and I am looking forward to seeing the movie, since I loved Titanic.
As to whether Indian themes will become mainstream ... I think some have been part of the culture for quite some time. The word Avatar IS an Indian word and used correctly in the computer world and also in this movie ...
Oh, there's no doubt the surface similarities are intentional. If it looks like a duck (or avatar) and sounds like a duck, it is a duck ;-)
As to the thematic similarities, an avatar is a being who descends/ incarnates into the world in order to preserve it (as in the 10 avatars of Vishnu, the preserver of the universe in the Hindu pantheon). So his interpretation is very close. And there are some echoes of advaita monism in the connectedness of nature on Pandora (A very literal/biological connectedness, though! Just plug in!) But overall I think Cameron made up his own unique reality from a vast variety of influences, of which the Indian aspect is only one. Enjoyed the movie!!
ohhh! very interesting. I haven't seen Avatar yet, but I'm itching to see it! I love the similarities!
LOL, re: Critter and the Na'vi. :0) It's true! :0)
I also saw somewhere that Avatar's plot was compared to Pocahontas. So, what did you think of the movie, Nandini? Other than liking it ? And who/what is this Critter thing ??? Fun !
Hi Katia,
Critter is a globe trotting (or maybe I should say blog trotting) work of art. He's been to North Carolina, Texas, South Korea, and now here. Might be fun to end him to India next. I'll be posting a "Who wants Critter next" contest soon, so enter if you want to host him!
Places he's been so far:
2. Roots in Myth
3. Writing It Out
4. Chocolate for Inspiration- shopping and the palace
Whoops, messed that up! Was trying to cut and paste from Christina's website. She made of list (below) of where he's been so far. Check it out!
Places he's been so far:
1. Christy's Creative Space
2. Roots in Myth
3. Writing It Out
4. Chocolate for Inspiration- shopping and the palace
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