Celebrating The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption is a story of Andy Dufresne

- Ruchira Roy

While watching this film, I was reminded of a striking similarity between the plot of the film and The Art of Living’s Prison Smart Program that has transformed the lives of 800,000 prisoners in 65 countries, bringing them real inner freedom and light with such compassion and acceptance, while they are serving their sentence inside world’s prisons. Wonder how the two are connected? Read on.

A cult film, the Shawshank Redemption deserves to be celebrated. Not very often do we find films dedicated to kindling hope and desire for liberation in us as human beings, moving us from the darkness of ignorance and apathy to light of courage and positivity. It is also a film about ‘friendship, patience, hope, survival, emancipation, and ultimate redemption and salvation’ by the time the film ends.

Soon enough in the film you realize, that the protagonist, a rebellious and intelligent man is going to escape from the prison, yet it is the pace and writing of the film and the rich spiritual commentary, that keeps you hooked, as if the background of jail time gives the filmmaker a chance to introspect life on behalf of all of us. If you are looking to watch a film with the most inspiring dialogues, it is this one.