The Lady: Depicting determined struggle

Aug San Suu Kyi, as we know her, is a bold woman with a never-say-die attitude. She is fighting for decades to free Myanmar from the despotic military regime and thus bring about democracy. Only recently have her efforts shown some signs of bearing some fruit. Her party National League for Democracy won 43 of the total 45 seats for the Myanmar lower house. Suu Kyi herself won from Kawhmu constituency.

However, not many of us know about her past, except may be for the fact that she has been under house arrest from 1989 till recently. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. A recent film The Lady directed by Luc Besson depicts her life and her struggle and gives us an insight into Suu Kyi’s phenomenal personality. She was born to Aung San who was a freedom fighter, but sadly, he was murdered by the conspirators. Eventually, Sui Kyi had to go abroad to pursue her studies. In the meantime, Myanmar, then Burma, was reeling under the cruel rule of the military dictators. Protestors were decimated by the hundreds. All such development led Suu Kyi to plunge into freedom struggle; freedom not so much from an external enemy, but from the nasty rulers within.

                                                                  Director Luc Bresson

Film Clip

Of course, this meant a lot of sacrifice. She had to leave behind her husband and two sons in the United States. Her sons were deprived of her personal care. But they were very understanding and supported her cause.

The film has portrayed all this quite realistically. The Suu-Kyi look-alike Michelle Yeoh too has done quite a justice to the role, though she basically does action oriented films. (Remember Crouching tiger, Hidden Dragon?)

Apart from anything else, the message the film drives home is that any struggle, more especially a political struggle, needs a charismatic leadership. In most cases, such leadership comes from a man. For a change, here is a woman who dares the enemy within. How long will she have to struggle? If indications are anything to go by, may not be very long. Suu Kyi is truly an inspiration to anyone who dares to fight a noble cause. 

- Melwyn Pinto SJ