The Sky is Pink

Mohua Chakraborty

The title "The Sky is Pink" excites a cine buffy's taste buds for watching the movie by keeping the mystery element intact. The film reveals how the colour of sky for every human being is different and one can colour his sky with the colour he/she wants. The character of the mother of Aisha, Aditi Chaudhry, played by Priyanka Chopra is a curious mix of a very protective mother who gives every second of her life to the wellbeing of her children. In doing so, she becomes the epitome of a bold, possessive and protective mother which is representative of universal mother figure, highlighted at times by the elements of a typical Indian mother. This can be seen in the scene in which her son, who is staying away from her in India for a reason to be revealed later in this piece, tells her how his school teacher scolds him and humiliates him in front of his classmates for colouring the sky in pink and immediately unlike a stereotypical mother, she tells him to colour his sky with the colour he wants his sky to be.

Apart from the figure of the mother, the role of the father Niren Chaudhary, played by Farhan Akhtar, is quite intelligently etched out. It voices out the perennial concerns and predicament of the father's whose efforts in bringing up their children, which is always overshadowed by the overpowering efforts of the mother. Generally it is a common cause of concern for the fathers that their efforts are always put under the carpet when compared with that of the mother.

Farhan Akhtar plays the role of Aisha's father, the girl who suffers from the life-threatening disease called pulmonary fibrosis, and the way he sacrifices his aspirations for his daughter, whom he wasn't very keen in bringing in this world at one point, is worth putting forth in front of those fathers who crib firstly about having a girl child and, secondly, who feel they are burdened when that child is not a "normal" child. It underlines the fact that most parents don't realize how blessed they are to have a children firstly and more blessed if it is a "normal" kid.

The character of the brother Ishaan Chaudhry played by Rohit Saraf, a young budding talent, might have not been superficially a very strong one but one scene where he consoled his sister on being said that she doesn't want to die and immediately after hanging the phone up, he throws his bag away in utter desperation. That single scene shows not only the frustration of a brother but also makes us realize how an entire family goes through myriad emotions and realities when they have to counter the only reality of life which is 'Death'. The immediate family is our only support system. This truth is reflected through the plot of the film which is in fact based on a true story.

The love story and struggle of the couple Niren and Aditi spanning over a period of twenty five years is presented through the eyes of their daughter Aisha, played superbly by Zaira Wasim. This is a film which everyone should watch to realize and remind themselves of the bitter, stark realities of life. The star caste of the film is able to drive home the vision of the director in a very sensitive manner and kudos to each one of them for being able to do that beautifully. The director of the film Shonali Bose herself had faced a similar situation when her son died and only someone who could emphasize with the characters and relate to the incidents could do that. In short, it is a film for the thinking as well as perceptive audience.