By:
Subhash
K.
Jha,
IndiaFM
Monday,
September
17,
2007
The
problem,
with
a
film
about
a
couple
grappling
with
the
grim
reality
of
an
autistic
offspring
is
that
it
gets
past
the
check-post
of
cynicism
on
the
table
itself.
And
yet
I'm
surprised
to
see
a
lot
of
critical
disapproval
for
debutant
director
Kaushik
Roy's
gentle
elegiac
look
at
a
dysfunctional
family
from
behind
closed
doors.
To
be
simple
is
very
difficult
in
a
film
about
domestic
drama.
The
maker
is
constantly
tempted
to
bring
in
images
removed
from
reality
to
counter-balance
the
portrait
of
a
mundane
every
day
life.
Kaushik
keeps
the
narrative
constantly
equanimous,
avoiding
overt
sentimentality
so
that
when
moving
moments
ensue,
you're
…well,
moved!
Watch
the
withdrawn
father
bond
with
his
forlorn
son
in
the
Holi
sequence.
It
melts
your
heart.
A
large
part
of
the
screen
space
is
occupied
by
the
15-year
old
boy's
confused
relationship
with
his
estranged
parents.
It
is
quite
obvious
that
the
couple
stopped
seeing
eye
to
eye
because
of
their
child.
And
the
husband
blames
himself
for
Buddhi's
predicament.
Irrfan
and
Shobana
take
their
roles
far
beyond
the
obvious.
Here
are
two
performances
that
go
beyond
the
precincts
of
the
script.
Irrfan's
part
is
complex.
He's
a
shirker,
escapist
and
a
bit
of
a
jerk,
avoiding
the
domestic
domain
for
lunches
and
drinking
sessions
with
colleagues
who
are
constantly
embarrassed
by
his
boisterous
self-regard.
Irrfan
never
hesitates
in
entering
dark
territories
of
human
nature.
He
plays
the
escapist
with
rare
understanding
and
com-passion.
And
to
see
the
lovely
Shobana
finally
doing
a
Hindi
film
is
a
pleasure
to
treasure
beyond
measure.
Shobana
is
the
last
of
our
danseuse-actresses.
Is
it
a
coincidence
she's
named
after
her
illustrious
aunt
Padmini
in
Apna
Aasman?
And
is
it
a
mere
chance
that
this
film
moves
you
without
trying
to
do
so?
Kaushik
makes
no
calculated
moves
for
tears.
His
outflow
of
domestic
emotions
is
so
straight
and
direct,
you
are
swept
into
the
very
private
anguish
of
a
couple
who
craves
to
see
their
son
being
as
normal
as
the
neighbour"s
child.
Of
course
there
are
glitches.
The
boy
who
plays
Buddhi
tends
to
lose
track
of
his
character's
graph.
But
between
them
Irrfan
and
Shobana
cultivate
a
climate
of
complete
conviction
for
this
uneven
but
heartwarming
study
of
anguish
in
places
where
it
can't
be
seen.
Kaushik
makes
the
intangible
visible.
Apna
Aasman
isn't
the
greatest
film
ever
made.
But
it's
certainly
sincere
brave
and
heartwarming.