FIVE MOVIES THAT SHOW US THE TRUE MEANING OF EXCELLENCE AND INTEGRITY

By Milana Prakash (Team Creative)

Every academic year, Sophia College for Women adopts a certain theme that is incorporated into the events throughout the year. This year’s theme happens to be ‘The Pursuit of Excellence With Integrity’. As the countdown to Kscope is edging closer, day by day, we decided to intertwine the theme of the fest and the college together.

While the primary purpose of films is to entertain, sometimes they do play a pivotal role in conveying a social message for the greater good. Here are a few films that have portrayed the idea of ‘integrity’ in their stories:

1) The Pursuit of Happyness –

Starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith, the film is a heartwarming biographical drama. It traces the life of Chris Gardener’s struggle as a salesman who, owing to dire circumstances, grapples with making ends meet, and ends up homeless with a young son to take care of. It brilliantly portrays the resilience of the human spirit in times of abject hopelessness, and how sincerity and integrity eventually pay off.

2) Casablanca –

This Academy award winning American classic is the story of Rick, who runs a popular nightclub at Casablanca, where many refugees aspiring to flee to the US are stranded. On one such occasion, he encounters his ex-lover and her husband, who approach him to help them escape. It projects how integrity is essential, even when it comes to love and romance. It shows how true love is beyond just being besotted over someone’s body and is sometimes about letting go, knowing where one’s limits lie, and making sacrifices.

3) 3 Idiots –

This film that’s unanimously loved by most Indians is an embodiment of the vitality of integrity in all aspects of life. Whether it pertains to Chatur’s clandestine acts of slipping in R-Rated magazines under the doors of his classmates to distract them (thus displaying lack of integrity), or Raju’s refusal to betray his friend even at the cost of getting expelled, it shows how morality and principles go a long way in forging bonds based on trust and love.

4) Spotlight –

This happens to be another Oscar award winning film, and portrays the power of integrity in the professional and legal space. As it explores the Boston Globe’s real-life investigation of a series of child abuse cases by Catholic Priests in Boston, it deals with how attempts are made to cover up for the acts committed by perpetrators, and how, despite that, the ‘Spotlight’ team manages to gather evidence while maintaining complete confidentiality and sensitivity.

5) Pyaasa –

Guru Dutt’s critically acclaimed film deals with a young poet, Vijay, and his indefatigable passion for poetry. This film features instances of deceit and rejection that bring forth the importance of kindness, and that subtly highlight the need for integrity.