Da Vinci Code

“Da Vinci Code” came to Kerala on Friday, and I rushed to see it because, if Kerala follows the example of at least five other Indian states, the movie will soon be banned here. That’s right – “Da Vinci Code” has been banned in no less than five states throughout the country, and, considering the fact that Kerala has India’s largest Christian population and one that is very much on the conservative side, I will not be surprised if this state follows suit.

With that in mind, I flew to Ernakulam (well, I took a bus, really), bought my ticket for the nearly sold-out show, and enjoyed every last second of it, the same way I had enjoyed every last page of the book earlier this year. And frankly, I don’t see what all the controversy is about.

First of all, nobody is claiming that this book or movie is a work of non-fiction. “Da Vinci Code” is a story. It is make-believe – genius make-believe, I think – and Dan Brown’s main objective in writing this story was to entertain. Along with that, perhaps he wanted to make his audience think, but he never, ever asked anyone to take his words for truth. It’s fiction, and no one has ever claimed otherwise. And, on top of that, it is fiction that has now been Hollywoodified! It’s for entertainment, and it’s for fun.

But if this isn’t argument enough for the ridiculousness of the controversy the book and movie have caused, I’ve got another one:

Without giving anything away, I feel that the ending of this story justifies faith in God and His son. The reason cited by the Chief Minister (like a governor) of Andhra Pradesh for banning the movie was that “the exhibition of the film might hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims and Christians.” But I don’t personally see how this could happen. While the movie does make claims that, if true, would render some portions of the Bible untrue, thereby upsetting the foundations upon which Christianity has been based, in one of the movie’s final scenes, the main character says, “In the end, what matters is what you believe.”

This simply-stated line says it all: It doesn’t matter what Dan Brown wrote; it doesn’t matter what Hollywood screened; it doesn’t matter whether what was portrayed in the book or the movie is even taken as fact or fiction because, in the end, what matters if what you believe. And isn’t that, pure and simple, what faith is all about?

I believe that Dan Brown’s story is just that. But I believe his message is one that promotes, encourages, and embraces all types of faith.