Review - Apna Asmaan: wholesome cinema

Apna Asmaan

wogma rating: Beg or borrow, but do watch ^(?)

Director: Kaushik Roy

Genres: Family, Relationships

Kaushik Roy’s Apna Asmaan is a film that stands out from the other releases so far this year. It is a touching, simple film that communicates the personal pains and feelings of an autistic child’s parents.

A brilliant film stands out for a perfect blend of all the technicalities of cinema. If any one aspect is bolder than the rest, then we tend to refer to the film as well shot, or well edited or good story etc, etc. Apna Asmaan in totality is a film that is complete in itself. Communicating through cinema has never been so complete. That is why it is so unique, and has stood out.

Most popular cinema takes it as a given that the audience is not a thinking population and comes to sit back and talk on the cell phone or eat popcorn, coffee etc. They often insult the viewers mind or stick to the theatrical performances of Shahrukh Khans.

This film however, has transcended this problem. The director has shown maturity and full understanding of the viewers. At no point of the film does it tend to go off into ridiculous overacting. In fact, given the storyline and lines, Irfan and Shobhana have done a wonderful job. Good direction and the right choice of actors have made the film so perfect. The script and story are married with all fine points taken care of.

However what struck me in due course of the film was the inability of the director to break from the stereotypical image of the woman as a mother and wife. New age cinema in India should attempt to break such stereotypes; otherwise the same would circulate in the subconscious minds of the viewers. It is known and well researched that films have a strong influence on the society at large. In such a case only sensitive filmmakers can come forward to break certain myths where women are concerned. There seems to be a subtle hint about the modern intelligent woman and her aspirations for her family and herself in this movie. There is a negative image that evolves, that does not promote women to step beyond home and family.

Otherwise Apna Asmaan is a brilliant film worth watching and remembering. Kaushik Roy, though an ex-adman and first-time movie director, has brought out a theme so real and close to life without adding too much of unnecessary excesses of regular Hindi commercial cinema.

This review is by guest reviewer Piu Sur. Piu is an ex-Student of Film Studies Chitrabani, Kolkata and a documentary film maker. She enjoys teaching mass communication. Her first love is French cinema. Talking about cinema over coffee is like refreshment for her soul. She dreams to make her expression on celluloid. Presently she enjoys media advocacy and is working as Manager, Communications at CRY (Child Rights And You). Piu Sur also blogs at http://childrightsandyou.com.

13 reviewers^(?) - 4 yays 2 so-so 7 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up, by Baradwaj Rangan, Blogical Conclusion, The New Sunday Express : ...Apna Asmaan works because the sci-fi trappings remain at an allegorical level.... full review

Thumbs up, by Subhash K Jha, Now Running.com : ...Kaushik makes no calculated moves for tears... full review

Thumbs up, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ... Both Irfan and Shobhana lend a genteel grace to the characters... full review

Thumbs up, by Shoma A Chatterjee, Upper Stall : ...The film takes serious potshots at our ruthlessly brutal social system that ignores a good-hearted, innocent child... full review

So-So, by Shubhra Gupta, Express India : ...But the end, even if a trifle improbable, brings the film back on track... full review

So-So, by Praveen Lance Fernandes, indiatimes : ...The initial portions remind you of a few Iranian films but then Bollywood takes over after a point of time... full review

Thumbs down, by Manasi Paresh Kumar, Deccan Herald : ...adman Kaushik Roy is so used to telling his story in 30 seconds that he fails to translate it into a three-hour movie... full review

Thumbs down, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...it quickly disintegrates into an outlandish, exaggerated, melodrama... full review

Thumbs down, by Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM : ...Director Kaushik Roy knows the technicalities right, but it's the writer in him that lets the director down... full review

Thumbs down, by Shradha Sukumaran, MiD DAY : ...the story jerks into a hundred implausible directions... full review

Thumbs down, by Anupama Chopra, NDTV : ...Stalwart actors like Irfan Khan and Shobhana try to make this mumbo-jumbo believable but it is too big a challenge.... full review

Thumbs down, by Hanumant Bhansali, Radio Sargam : ...the film fails at the scripting stage... full review

Thumbs down, by Patcy N, Rediff : ...Considering the film was born out of his own autistic son, Orko, he should not have commercialised the subject.... full review

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4 readers - 0 yays 4 so-so 0 nays

So-So, by Consumer Goods

So-So, by Hindilyrics4u.co.in

So-So, by Hindilyrics4u.co.un

So-So, by Lyricswale.com

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