On the recommendation of my colleague and friend, Adivya, I decided to watch the movie, Whiplash. I love the movies that are based on music, passion, and dancing. I loved the movies, August Rush, and Another Cinderella Story, due to this reason only. From the first scene, I was hooked to Whiplash. The passion and dedication of the jazz teacher, Fletcher, has set an unachievable bar for the students. He is a perfectionist to the extent that scares not only his students but also the audience of the movie. His tantrums and methods of injecting musical excellence into his students have converted him into a maniac. There is one student in his class named Andrew Neyman who dreams of becoming a top drummer. He has been feeling neglected and undervalued in his own family, and so, probably, to prove his worth, he bleeds and sweats to outshine others. However, Fletcher underestimates his efforts at several occasions, which drown Neyman into a deep pit of despair and anger.

Without revealing the climax of the movie, I would like to point out the takeaways from this inspiring movie. The major lesson that this movie conveys is not to let yourself be buried under the burden of a bad valuation from any person. People look up to a successful person for tips to succeed, but do all of those tips apply to each one of us? Probably, one does, which is to practice. Instead of sulking, one must try to devote as much time as possible to practice. We have an inherent tendency to judge others, and if given a chance, we tend to point out their flaws. Very rarely you will find people, who present a detailed analysis report of another person with the sole intention of improving them. In fact, mostly, people underestimate another person with darker motives. Usually, the motive is to feel good about themselves by diverting the attention to another person’s flaws. Now, imagine that you are being underestimated by a mean person. You can either try to defend yourself or sit in the corner feeling demotivated or you can use your own head to assess the areas of your improvement. I like the last option the most. I would defend me, first, though. I have a big mouth disease, I can’t hold my thoughts to myself. The movie teaches us to continue to practice and one day, we just might get the opportunity to show to the world that we cannot be underestimated. It shows both the dark and the bright side of underestimation. Neyman takes both the paths and comes out stronger than ever.

Another takeaway from the movie is to support your family members and make them feel loved. Neyman decided to show to his family that his career, as a drummer, is equally valuable as the careers that his brothers had chosen. Nobody was taking his passion seriously, and, to add to the pressure, his teacher was making him feel unworthy. If he was loved in his family, he wouldn’t have felt low. For him, though, things worked out. Real life may take some drastic turns due to a lack of appreciation and love.

The movie has a good lesson for teachers, as well. Their intention might be good, but they must learn when to stop. Too much underestimation could arise mental health issues to their students, and that is never acceptable.

All said and done, it was an inspirational movie with many deep messages. Watch it, enjoy it, and share your thoughts about it. I’ll be waiting!

P.S. This post is in response to the daily post prompt: Underestimate