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Apna Asmaan

Director: Kaushik Roy
Producer: Kaushik Roy, Umang Pahwa
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Shobana, Anupam Kher, Rajat Kapoor, Dhruv Piyush Panjnani, Utkarsha Naik, Nassar Abdulla, Barkha Singh
Music: Leslie Lewis

We all dream big by hitting skies, yet we underestimate and undermine ourselves. Kaushik Roy's critically acclaimed 'Apna Asmaan' centers on such thoughts and tries to impart a lesson to those who fail to fulfill their dreams. It's indeed a different and innovative subject to be visualized, but many times noble ideas fail to find suitable grounding because of sub-standard treatment and execution.

'Apna Asmaan' meaning "our very own sky" comes from the new breed of modern filmmakers who journey into uninhibited subjects. It takes a load of intellectual strength, visionary attitude and personal experience for delving into such offbeat subjects.

Debutante Kaushik Roy has had an introspective journey into the life of his son Rohan alias Orko while making this methodically different script. Lately, Nita Ambani, wife of entrepreneur Mukesh Ambani, took special interest in holding a painting exhibition of Orko and now this mentally challenged kid gets wider footage through 'Apna Asmaan'. The film has already been globe-trotting for the past few months, winning laurels even in Latin American entertainment sectors and making wider impacts at many film festivals.

The film works on the whims and fancies of achieving monumental heights by hitting the sky in the wake of adversities. Every human deserves "Ek Mutthi Asmaan" for himself, against all odds but every dream has a price tag that we underestimate and neglect. 'Apna Asmaan' works on these theorie. 'Apna Asmaan' tries to be much high on its cinematic liberties as the crux of the film revolves around a drug - Brain Booster.

It also brings out the nefarious endeavors of medicos but the climax proves a bit colder. It's indeed a noble subject where such malpractices in the medical profession are unearthed. However, the end is too amateurish in its execution.

A crook like Dr Sathya (Anupam Kher), the brainchild behind Brain Booster, hides in old-age home as a lunatic patient to avoid his arrest. Buddhi (Dhruv Panjuiani), the protagonist, suddenly turns a kid after being medicated with this dare-devil drug! This is unbelievable. Buddhi's turning into modern Aryabhatta by solving difficult problems publicly is indigestible.

So, he behaves like a spoilt-brat and finally gets back into his original abnormalities even after being treated with antidote. Such assumptions lead to a conclusion that one should run after his dreams and believe in the nature of law. 'Apna Asmaan' is high on its fictional plot but fails to fulfill expectations from such an internationally acclaimed film.

Budhhi (Dhruv P. Panjuani), mildly autistic teenager has his shares of dreams but his parents have much big dreams from him. Like any parent, Ravi (Irrfan Khan) and Padmini (Shobana), father and mother respectively of Buddhi wished the best for their teenage son but the only difference being that their son wasn't normal.

Buddhi has deficiencies; he isn't able to study the way other children of his age do. His abnormalities lead his mother to frustration. His father Ravi carries the guilt of being responsible for his son's mental state. (When Buddhi was a child he was accidentally dropped by Ravi).

Kamini, gold medalist in Mathematics, waited for a miracle to treat her son to normalcy. She always desired her son to be excellent in studies. Buddhi's flair for art was immaculate but unfortunately it didn't quite impress her. The regular taunts from her mother-in-law made the situation worse.Dr. Sen (Rajat Kapoor), a neurologist and close family friend, tried to make her understand that it wasn't possible for Buddhi to be as normal as she would like.

Sen was benevolent towards Padmini and her son and wanted them to understand that Buddhi was indeed a special child with extraordinary skills. Dr. Sathya (Anupam Kher), a qualified Ayurvedic physician and manipulative medico, had invented a drug named Brain Booster which turned a dumb person into an intellectual and sharp-minded person.

But, the treatment has side effects, too, like that of memory loss. He had a big ambition of procuring Nobel Prize and so he planned to make Buddhi his patient for his research. Depressed Ravi meets scheming Dr. Sathya and agrees to administer the drug to his son. Medicine works wonder and Buddhi turns into a genius "Aryabhatta" but forgets about his past.

He faces major problems as he turns a bewildered and an unpredictable guy. Now, Buddhi is a violent spoilt-brat who abuses his parents and treats them in the ugliest possible way. Padmini and Ravi's dreams are shattered and they look for Dr. Sathya for an antidote of this deadly Brain Booster. 'Apna Asmaan' ends on a happy note where the over-ambitious parents recognize their faults and believe in God-given talent (painting).

Debutante Kaushik Roy has treaded on a significant path that is still an unexplored subject in the marquee but the film lacks the desired niche to allure class audiences. The film tries to be high on fictional plots and characters in its narration.

Irfan Khan excels in his good-natured character of an over-ambitious and lovable father. After the success of 'Life in a Metro', he has developed a niche for himself in humorously penned roles and there are sequences where he excels. Shobhana, a trusted and talented South Indian actress and dancer, delivers a mature performance and adds substance to the subject.

Debutante Dhruv Panjuiani emotes and acts well as autistic child and thereafter shows confidence in his arrogant image. Rajat Kappor proves again that he is a dependable actor. Anupam Kher plays a pivotal but brief role ands still he leaves a mark with his performance.


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