MOVIE - THE SKY IS PINK | KAIROS GLOBAL | JANUARY 2020

Author: Rhea Jose

Intro: Rhea Jose’s review of the movie ‘The Sky is Pink’ highlights love, sacrifice, positivity and support as some of the most important pillars of a family.

"You can colour the sky any colour you want!” says Aditi to her son Ishaan who is scolded by his teacher for painting the sky pink. 

‘The Sky is Pink’ is Shonali Bose’s third feature film based on a true story, spanning 25 years and takes us on a roller coaster ride with the Chaudhary family. The real life characters Niren and Aditi, played by Farhan Akhtar and Priyanka Chopra respectively, wrestle with agonizing losses in their marriage but endure it all, together, despite the seemingly unending turmoil it has on their lives. 

The film keeps us glued to the screen as it takes us on a sentimental journey beginning from the womb, then delving into individual perceptions about terminal illness, pro-life decision making and the sacrifices a family has to make to keep their family ‘normal’. 

It gives an uncommonly calm and collected take on the life and death of Aisha who is born with a rare congenital disorder. And the parents, despite having a premonition that this child they’ve conceived might be born with the same fatal disorder that snatched their first child Tanya, away, still CHOOSE LIFE! 

In an era where standing for life and choosing to endure suffering for others is looked down upon, Niren, Aditi and Ishaan (Aisha’a elder brother) show us beautifully what lies when we go beyond our own selves for others’ sake and that the most important purpose of life is to live for each other.

Aisha Chaudhary who narrates the story, has a rare immune deficiency disorder she is almost cured of; but later develops pulmonary fibrosis and must decide whether to go down the route of a lung transplant, which may prolong her life by 10 years. Aisha is against the idea and when questioned by her father, replies, “You think it will be easier to die at 28 than 18?” This gives us a rather new outlook about death and losses. About death, Aisha says, “Get over it. It`s quite cool actually. You`ll see when you get here.” Such strong statements make Aisha come out as this optimistic teenager filling the screen with a lot of positivity.

During a TEDx Talk in 2014 Aisha said, "the only thing that truly matters to me is being happy. Happiness is a choice one makes. I can either choose to be happy and try to smile through all of my difficult times, or I can choose to be miserable. If I have to have pulmonary fibrosis, I choose to have a happy pulmonary fibrosis."

The movie ‘The Sky is Pink’ very subtly puts forward the message to choose life even in a crisis, to make sacrifices for the good of the family and of course to not be afraid of death. After all, love and sacrifice are closely linked, just like the sun and the light. We cannot love without suffering and we cannot suffer without loving. 

Rhea Jose is from Delhi and part of National Campus Team, India. She is currently  pursuing her masters in Social Work.