A 16-year-old boy finds himself on a boat in the Pacific Ocean after escaping a shipwreck . Even worse, he is left with a huge tiger for company. But he manages to survive after 227 days of fighting against all the hardships of the sea. Pi, the lead character in Oscar-winning Ang Lee's new movie Life of Pi, went through an inspiring journey of growth and self-discovery. So did 19-year-old Suraj Sharma, the Indian actor who plays him. But it was a lucky chance that opened up the opportunity for the new star. Sharma was a regular student who lived with his mathematician parents in Delhi, India. As the director traveled to Mumbai to find his Pi, the teenager went along with his younger brother, who had acted in a couple of movies, to audition . But little did Sharma know that he would end up winning the role from 3, 000 hopefuls. Lee said he saw Pi in Sharma: "Not only does he have a compelling and wise look. He has this rare talent." The director said that in the final round, Sharma gave one of the "most compelling readings we had. In the end, he was in tears." Understandably, Sharma didn't want to _ . "He (Lee) had given me this opportunity. I had to give it my best," Sharma told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Sharma swam for four or five hours a day until he was completely comfortable with the water. He also worked on his body because he had to first gain weight and then quickly lose weight as the story developed. He even had rats run all over him to prepare for his role. Lee was impressed by the teenager, especially his endurance and patience in staying in a water tank for many hours each day. Sharma was only 16 when Lee signed him. After three years of shooting, Sharma said he had matured with Pi's journey. The passage is intended to introduce   _  .
the thrilling escape from a shipwreck how an Oscar-winning movie attracts audience a young actor became matured when acting in a movie the difficulty in winning a role in a movie