Apna Asmaan (transl. Our World) is a 2007 Bollywood drama film directed by Kaushik Roy, and stars Irrfan Khan, Shobana and Dhruv Piyush Panjuani in pivotal roles, with Rajat Kapoor and Anupam Kher in important supporting roles. Khan plays the protagonist, an “everyman” who is discontented with a failing marriage and an autistic son Buddhi played by Dhruv Panjuani. He is constantly blamed by his wife Padmini, played by Shobana, for their son’s condition. After meeting a scientist Dr. Sathya, played by Anupam Kher, Ravi obtains a drug which cures mental disorders from him and injects Buddhi, leading him to become intelligent. However, in the process, Buddhi starts to forget his parents and friends, leading to uncontrollable tragic events.
The film was originally planned in 1999 by director Kaushik Roy, who conceptualised the idea from his own child Orko. According to the former, the film deals with autism, an issue which is foreseen as a taboo in Indian society. The film made its theatrical debut in India on 7 September 2007, with international premieres held at ReelWorld Film Festival in Toronto, San Luis Cine Festival and Stuttgart Film Festival in 2008. The film received several accolades in various film festivals, notably one German Star of India award and one Gala Dinner & INAP Award.
Apna Asmaan received mixed reviews from critics, who debated the direction and story, but praised the acting, themes and messages about the parents’ over-ambitious dreams inherited to their children. It was cited as one of the most-talked films of 2007, which established the film as art film rather than a commercial film.
Cast
Irrfan Khan as Ravi Kumar
Shobana as Padmini Kumar
Anupam Kher as Dr. Sathya
Rajat Kapoor as Dr. Sen
Dhruv Piyush Panjuani as Buddhi Kumar and Aryabhatta
Utkarsha Naik as Mrs. Sharma
Nassar Abdulla as Mr. Sharma
Barkha Singh as Pinky Sharma
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.