Forrest Gump

There is a scene in Forrest Gump when Jenny tells him that that kid is his son. I have never seen anything like Tom Hanks there. "Is he stupid too?", he asks. I bow down to you Hanks. And I'm sure the world will not be the same since I have seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump.

I know most of you have seen Forrest Gump but Forrest Gump isn't just a story. It is a revolution. It is a reminder of everything we have forgotten. When Winston Groom wanted to chronicle the major events of the second half of the 20th century, he had to choose a man who was simple, honest and unbiased. He chose Forrest Gump. Gump, considered the local idiot and who is turned away from admission into school because he has an IQ of 75, is responsible for Elvis Presley's signature moves, plays Football in the All America Team, gets a college degree, is awarded the medal of honour for services in the Nam war, stumbles into the famous Washingtom peace rally, exposes the Watergate scandal, plays ping-pong in China, sets up a shrimp business, appears on the Fortune cover, invests in a fruit company called 'Apple', grows rich, and runs through the entire country. Not bad for a crippled kid certified 'stupid'. And through all this, he is oblivious to the entire world, and all he can think about is Jenny, Momma, God and the promises he has to keep.

Tom Hanks is a goddamn genius. I've just learnt that he was the third choice to play the role of Gump but maybe it is his tryst with destiny. Nobody, absolutely nobody, could've been Forrest Gump. And Robert Zemeckis knows exactly what he is doing in every scene. No shot is wasted, no dialogue is overdone and Forrest Gump, the movie, wins hearts. Forrest Gump made me think. At the end of it it is still a heart warming story of a guy who knows 'what love is'. But the kind of honesty and conviction Hanks brought into the role is spellbinding. His eyes and his voice capture our attention for the entire length of the film and everything seems fine with the world because Forrest thinks it is.

And yes, Forrest Gump reminded me that all is not lost in life, that it is still those things in life which make life life. Things like Love, Loyalty, Honesty and a Box o' Chocolates. In one scene Forrest says, "People told me I gave them Hope. I haven't done anything like that." But that is what exactly Forrest Gump gives us. Hope for a better world. And that if a man wants to do something, nothing else can stop him. When Forrest, who can hardly walk, is told to run, he 'runs like the wind'. And for that, Forrest Gump is a triumph of the Human Spirit. For it is important to have a Big Brain, but more so, to have a Big Heart.

Thank You, Forrest.