Apna Aasman: Super-natural and intelligent

Director Kaushik Roy’s intentions are noble, characters believable and this thought-provoking plot can’t be more relevant in a plastic world on the brink of technological breakthroughs.

The multi-layered narrative replete with references from mythology and literature begins slowly and steadily… The story of a family that’s become dysfunctional after the father Ravi (Irrfan breathes so much life into his role as a plastic salesman) drops his son Buddhi (Dhruv is the find of the year) as a child, causing brain damage.

After dwelling into the resulting angst in the lives of the parents (Shobana slips under the skin of the mother with unbelievable conviction), Kaushik sets it up as a psychological thriller of a mythical quality when the father comes across a miracle drug – a ‘brain booster’ that could help Buddhi overcome autism and transform him into a genius.

Since such things happen only in fables, Roy employs cinematic techniques to connect us with the surreal and the larger than life – psychedelic dreams, metaphorical montages and heightened exaggeration from the sensational TV camera point of view – while keeping the emotional core credible, rooted in the realism of the fast food and quick-fix solutions.

The only stumbling blocks are product placements and an overdose of blatant referencing – Like the moment when Rajat Kapoor, the voice of the conscience in the film, quoting Kahlil Gibran, hands over a copy of the book to the parents to find their peace.

Yes, we understand the director’s predicament of ensuring a politically correct resolution for the film to drive home his message to other parents with differently-abled children but the quick fairy tale ending here is simplistic. It comes across as too convenient and seems forced on to an otherwise intelligent film.

Here’s to the arrival of a promising, sensitive filmmaker.