The Sky Is Pink

wogma rating: Watch but no rush (?)

quick review:

Great performances and a touching story bring in a lot of tears despite knowing how it all ends. Might have worked even better, were it shorter.

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Director: Shonali Bose
Running time: 150 minutes
More Movie Info

The Sky Is Pink - Preview

The romantic bits in the trailer are a mix of cute and forced. The family bits sound like a mix of fun and meh. The story arc is interesting because it is a true-life story, and it is different from a done-to-death rom-com one. At the same time, I get the feeling that the variety will wear off early in the film.

So, unless the cutesy, the fun and the freshness in the story go well beyond what we have in the trailer, The Sky Is Pink might just feel like a long-drawn drama. However, Farhan Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra, and the great combination they make could make the film engaging, and that is something worth looking forward to in itself. And yet, hoping for more.

The Sky Is Pink releases on 11 October 2019.

- meeta, a part of the audience

The Sky Is Pink is an emotional experience. Maybe it touched a deeper vein because it was a mother watching. It was tough to turn mamma-mode off. That also would mean though, that the film makes itself easily relatable. It owes that to the performances, the texture created, the relationship dynamics, the writing, and most of all, the situation itself. It is a true-life story, after all. Even so, it might have worked even better if it were crisper.

Tears roll down because they can’t stay in any more.

Sure, the build-up needs its calm, extended moments. Sure, the torturous wait for a daughter to get better needs its time to hit the right spots. Sure, the telling is not only about the person passing away, but also about the people closest to the situation and their internal equations. Yet, I’m not sure if the risk of getting the audience impatient was worth it.

For most parts, I did not find the film a drag. It did help that I didn’t even realise when I got emotionally invested and that worked towards my patience. But, I did realise that by themselves, the relationships weren’t complicated and at least none of them added challenges to the core situation of the child being terminally ill. Also, some of the lingering beautiful moments might have worked better if they were shorter. And there might have been tighter ways of building the story up.

I am glad that the makers gave the end away at the beginning itself. That made it the story of a girl and her family’s struggle with her illness—plain and simple. No additional drama, no histrionics. This decision made the film a love story too. No not paternal love only. The love story of a couple. The effort that requires to turn a sizzling relationship into long-lasting love—that kind of love story.

In a way, this became the central aspect of the story, one rarely touched upon by films, especially Hindi ones. Also, even when post-marriage love is brought on screen, it invariably becomes about different hygiene habits, about how and one throws the towel—literally and figuratively, about sleeping habits. Patterns that don’t really make or break a long-term relationships in the larger scheme of things. In The Sky Is Pink, the couples interactions, their differences and how they dealt with them or didn’t, their consistent draw towards each other are highlighted because of their situation. Almost always, it is the bigger picture that is the essence of relationships that go through ups and downs and more downs.

Both Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar work so well together that not once did I feel I was watching an act. It was like I had slipped into their lives for a few years as a mute spectator. Both of them have outdone themselves. Were it not for the extraordinary situation, both the characters are very commonplace with nothing really special about them. And when faced with a non-ordinary situation they don’t go all film-y on us. They stay the same familiar characters. The same can be said about Zaira Wasim and Rohit Saraf. Zaira is a natural and Rohit is amicable and charming as his character is required to be.

In fact, it is impressive that he even leaves a mark considering his role is quite under-written. Maybe the real-life story didn’t have any sibling issues with the “normal” child being completely taken for granted. But, with about 150 minutes for four characters, maybe his point of view could have been exposed a little more.

The effort that requires to turn a sizzling relationship into long-lasting love—that kind of love story.

Even without it though, The Sky Is Pink tells an unimaginable story with remarkable restraint. It tugs the right chords at most times. You sob, and you are not thinking, “am I weeping because the film is made well.” Tears roll down because they can’t stay in any more.

- meeta, a part of the audience

39 reviewers(?) - 25 yays 10 so-so 4 nays

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

Thumbs up, by Subhash K Jha, Bolly Spice : ...Such moments, prone to be interpreted as insensitive create an opposite impact. The director knows bereavement closely. She alchemizes grief into something much more strong and durable. This film is so close to life, so laugh-like , if I may, that I felt the grief of the Chaudhary family as though I was part of it.... full review

Thumbs up, by Nirali Kanabar, Bollywood Life : ...This is the most beautiful and heartwarming representation of Aisha Chaudhary's life. If you're free this weekend, consider The Sky Is Pink as the best option to watch with your PARENTS. You will give them a tight hug and so will they after watching this one, mark our words. We go with 3.5 stars.... full review

Thumbs up, by Devesh Sharma, Filmfare : ...Overall, this bitter-sweet film will make you laugh, will make you cry and will surely make you ruminate on the glorious uncertainty of life...... full review

Thumbs up, by Madhuri V, Filmi Beat : ...In one of the poignant scenes in the film when a little Ishaan narrates to her mother on a phone call about getting scolded by his school teacher for colouring the sky pink, the latter quickly tells him, "If according to you, the colour of your sky is pink, so be it. That's your choice for your sky. Don't let anyone change it." After putting down the receiver, she breaks into tears in the phone booth. This simple scene teaches you a lot about life. It makes you realise that you have to be at your strongest when you are feeling at your weakest. I am going with 3.5 stars.... full review

Thumbs up, by Devansh Sharma, FirstPost : ...And so, through Margarita With A Straw, Shonali highlighted the need to love yourself at all times, especially after the death of a loved one. Shakun Batra's Kapoor & Sons showed how a family member needs to be cherished, even more so because of the unpredictability of death. But The Sky Is Pink throws light on the importance of celebrating lives, not only yours but also of those who have departed.... full review

Thumbs up, by Anna MM Vertticad, FirstPost : ...Large passages of The Sky Is Pink are swaddled in sorrow, as you might expect, but the film’s stand-out quality is its commitment to its positivity. Without seeming to try too hard, it is funny, believable and heart-wrenching all rolled into one. Death in the storyline is as inevitable as it is for all of us in real life, but what this film does is to celebrate lives well lived.... full review

Thumbs up, by Johnson Thomas, Free Press Journal : ...The tone of the film rests entirely on the teenage sassy, spunky and dead Aisha’s ‘spirited’ viewpoint “Get over it.” She says “ It`s quite cool actually. You`ll see when you get here.” And the fact is, Shonali Bose makes you experience it. This is a life and love affirming journey and Shonali Bose and her team must be congratulated for making it so.... full review

Thumbs up, by Vishal Verma, Glamsham.com : ...Having its own adage the title is a statement that it’s your life and it’s you who decide its colour. When Blue - loyalty trust grows further it turns Pink - universal love, affection, harmony and inner peace. Please carry an extra pair of handkerchiefs.... full review

Thumbs up, by Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Gulf News : ...But be warned, it’s a long feature. Clocking in at more than 140 minutes, it feels bloated at certain places. Don’t give up on the movie though. ‘The Sky is Pink’ is a keeper. Don’t miss it... full review

Thumbs up, by Monika Rawal Kukreja, Hindustan Times : ...Overall, The Sky Is Pink is a heartwarming story narrated with a balanced mix of emotions. While the performances shine, the story, too, leaves an impact.... full review

Thumbs up, by Nairita Mukherjee, india today : ...Despite that, The Sky Is Pink is precariously balanced between being overdramatic and overtly subtle - like Shoojit Sircar's October was overtly subtle. It leaves you with a lingering afterthought, I'm afraid most will not get. I'm sure because the couple sitting next to me dozed off! But then, no one said the sky is pink for everyone.... full review

Thumbs up, by R.M. Vijayakar, India West : ...For the susceptible, this is probably a three-handkerchief movie. For the rest of the audience, it is a pleasant experience that could have benefited a lot by 15 minutes of strategic edits. And somewhere, maybe, I still missed a R. Balki at the helm, even if Bose does score better than before. He would have made this film a commercial hit and enhanced the reach of this real-life wonderful story of courage, compassion, confidence and cooperation.... full review

Thumbs up, by Ambika Sachin, Khaleej Times : ...'The Sky is Pink' is a life affirming movie, which will have you weeping your heart out one minute, and laughing out loud the next, and though at times you might feel the tears threatening to take over your movie-watching experience, trust us, this is one film which will make you appreciate all that you have in your life and most importantly make you want to hold your loved ones a bit more closer.... full review

Thumbs up, by Umesh Punwani, koimoi : ...All said and done, The Sky Is Pink is a colourful take on the Importance of life. A perfect example to – “Broken crayons still colour.” Backed by outstandingly performances & equally good directions, this is a throat-lumping watch.... full review

Thumbs up, by Umesh Punwani, koimoi : ...how well it delivers bad news! Flawless Farhan, Phenomenal Priyanka & Zesty Zaira... full review

Thumbs up, by Mayank Shekhar, MiD DAY : ...This is only possible when the writer-director (Shonali Bose; Amu, Margarita With A Straw) is so personally invested in the subject that it stops becoming about exploitation, or (movie) manipulations, or even the story/family the film's based on. It seems like an emotion that the filmmaker's probably been through, and so wants the world to know. And ponder over. It just stops being just a movie then.... full review

Thumbs up, by Pankhurie Mulasi, Movie Talkies : ...The story is beautiful, dialogues are nice, music is fine, cinematography is good however, the screenplay could have been crisper.[/caption] All in all it’s a gorgeous film but if you are a fan of masala movies you should give it a miss.... full review

Thumbs up, by Kunal Guha, Mumbai Mirror : ...Writers Juhi Chaturvedi and Nilesh Maniyar ensure that the film’s morbid subject is rendered in a light, accessible manner. But while the dialogue sets a friendly tone, the background score takes it a bit too far and sometimes, seems distractingly upbeat for the proceedings. Director Shonali Bose is certain of what she wants to achieve through this story — depict a crushing yet inspiring story of a girl who has accepted that the odds aren’t in her favour and yet, hopes to get even with life.... full review

Thumbs up, by Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV : ...If at all, The Sky Is Pink, scripted by Bose with Nilesh Maniyar, errs on the side of sustained cheeriness, enhanced appreciably by the presence of Chopra in the role of a mother who puts her career on hold and works determinedly to take care of Aisha.... full review

Thumbs up, by Priyanka Sinha Jha, News18.com : ...The real hero in this instance, however, would have to be the zany uplifting story and to that effect, with The Sky is Pink, Bose delivers a fitting salutation to life.... full review

Thumbs up, by Vaibhavi V Risbood, Pinkvilla : ...Not sure whether The Sky Is Pink will get the box office bell ringing, but it will earn critical acclaim for the treatment and acting. The film is clearly not for the usual Priyanka and Farhan's Bollywood film fans. It's a film that reiterates life is not about the start or end; it’s about those moments created during the sojourn with your loved ones.... full review

Thumbs up, by Sukanya Verma, Rediff : ...As her milder, mellower better half, Farhan Akhtar's relaxed disposition is well suited to convey his character's gently building exasperation and suffering. He's a lot stronger than he lets on through his less is more approach. Zaira Wasim is quite a formidable talent. Too bad Aisha is her swan song off screen too.... full review

Thumbs up, by Gaurang Chauhan, Times Now : ...The four of them together looked and felt like a close-knit family, you can't help but care for them which is Shonali Bose's biggest win. Other characters in the film have nothing much to do. Rajshri Deshpande is wasted in the minuscule and unimportant role.... full review

Thumbs up, by Sreeparna Sengupta,, Times of India : ...‘The Sky is Pink’ is definitely a stirring watch as your heart goes out to the Chaudhary family and their zest for making every moment count, despite the trying times they go through. This one scores high on the emotional quotient.... full review

Thumbs up, by Sharad Raj, Upper Stall : ...All in all, director Shonali Bose maintains her streak of making good, sensitive films. However, had she got rid of some of the unnecessary flab, The Sky Is Pink could have been an even more effective film. Still, it’s well worth a watch.... full review

So-So, by Bobby Sing, Bobby Talks Cinema.com : ...Anyway, ending on a positive note, I would really love to give the film some brownie points for its brilliantly conceived title, which is a life-teaching lesson in itself as THE SKY IS PINK. But for why and how, you need to see the film, as I will not spoil the magic in just some words written on the paper (or rather keyboard)... full review

So-So, Bollywood Hungama : ...On the whole, THE SKY IS PINK has a great plot but falters on the account of a flawed execution and a lengthy runtime. At the box office, it will only appeal to a thin section of the niche audience in select metros.... full review

So-So, by SUPARNA SHARMA, Deccan Chronicle : ...Shonali Bose, despite having access to a very powerful story, has made very strange choices - not just of how to tell the story, but also of what to show, and what to keep out. It seems her intent was to make a film that could well be titled, The Chaudhurys: Forever Amazing.... full review

So-So, by Deepa Gahlot, Deepa Gahlot : ...It was brave of Priyanka and Farhan to play parents to teenagers—he acquires the gravity that comes with age and suffering, in her case, it is more about getting the ‘look’ right, rather than distilling the emotions. The two young actors are charming and carry off their scenes with conviction.... full review

So-So, by Anupama Chopra, Film Companion : ...The Sky is Pink deals with extreme anguish but it feels too sanitized. Still, at the end, when you see photos of the real Aisha, Ishaan, Niren and Aditi, the weight of their tragedy and force of their indomitable spirit hits home. I just wish I had felt that through the film.... full review

So-So, by Ankur Pathak, Huffington Post : ...Farhan Akhtar, who has the perfect mould for the quintessential urban Dad, sinks his teeth into the role of a father caught between projecting strength and managing his vulnerabilities, keeping a smile on his face while containing a bursting dam of tears. It’s a measured performance which solidifies Akhtar’s standing as an actor....

So-So, Outlook India : ...For all its flaws, "The Sky Is Pink" works for the simple moral science lesson it leaves behind: Your loved ones matter most. Come to think of it, nothing regales the true-blue Bollywood buff than that sort of a message.... full review

So-So, by Nandini Ramnath, Scroll.in : ...The movie is a deeply personal project for Shonali Bose, who lost her 16-year-old son, Ishan, in a domestic accident in 2010. The Chaudharys appear in a video montage to remind viewers that the events are based on fact rather than imagination. Stripped of these real-life connections, the film struggles to be a convincing portrait of love on the razor’s edge. Everything is insistently pink, and the blues are not shaded in skillfully enough.... full review

So-So, by Vinayak Chakravorty, Sify Movies : ...For all its flaws, The Sky Is Pink works for the simple moral science lesson it leaves behind: Your loved ones matter most. Come to think of it, nothing regales the true-blue Bollywood buff than that sort of a message.... full review

So-So, by Katr Erbland, yahoo! India : ...Early on, a distraught Aditi attempts to comfort a young Ishaan after he’s scolded for an elementary school drawing in which the sky is colored pink. Desperate to find a little magic in an increasingly cruel world, Aditi tells her son that his sky can be any color he wants it to be, no matter what other people say. It’s an emotional lesson, not a thoughtful one, and a piece of advice that pushes Ishaan (and the audience) to see things how he’d like to, even if that means putting on rose-colored glasses when it’s time to face the pain.... full review

Thumbs down, by Rahul Desai, Film Companion : ...I, for one, cannot comprehend the sweet sentimentality of this genre, but I hate that I’m consistently moved by its heart-on-sleeve cheesiness. To draw an appropriate analogy: The makers are like the father who uses his overripe imagination to help his son survive a Nazi concentration camp, and us viewers are the little boy. That’s the nature of the beast. Life is Beautiful…even when it’s not.... full review

Thumbs down, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...To confront the fact of a truncated life changes both, the person counting down as well as the family keeping vigil, in fundamental, moving ways. The sky can indeed be any colour you want, there’s lovely whimsy in the title. It needed to have seeped into the film.... full review

Thumbs down, by Uday Bhatia, Live Mint : ...It’s a desperately sad scene to begin with, but as the music picks up the band members start to smile and whoop. The Sky Is Pink has similar reserves of emotion, but nothing breaks through its manicured surface in so electrifying a manner.... full review

Thumbs down, by Kennith Rosario, The Hindu : ...It’s such a pity that the film has a powerful true story as its source material, yet its sole obsession is to make you either laugh or cry. The Sky Is Pink is perhaps better off titled, ‘Sometimes Happy Sometimes Sad’.... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

3 readers - 0 yays 2 so-so 1 nays

So-So, by Bollywood Latest News : 50

So-So, by Panik

Nay! Thumbs Down, by Samir

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Parental Guidance:

  • Violence: None.
  • Language: Mostly clean except for a couple of abuses muted out
  • Nudity & Sexual content: Talk about sex. Mention of contraception. A couple of kissing scenes.
  • Concept: A newborn girl has a rare disease because of which her life span ranges from six months to 20 years.
  • General Look and Feel: A subtle colour scheme. A sombre mood even though the film attempts to keep things light.

Detailed Ratings (out of 5):

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The Sky Is Pink - Cast, crew, links

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Running time:
150 minutes
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Comments (2)

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Samir Singh

A most tedious, syrupy, milk-a-tragedy fil

Its Ok.. Ok Movie as per Compare to other movies of PC
We are same added review on our Official Website : www.bollywoodlatestnews.in

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