Directed by Kaushik Roy
Rating: **
Apna Asmaan has its heart in the right place, yet it fails to move. It’s to do with the film’s odd mix of reality, metaphor and medical mumbo-jumbo. Just as you begin connecting with the slow learner Budhi (Dhruv) and his parents (witty and loveable Irrfan and graceful Shobhana) the narrative jerkily turns into a medical fantasy.
Budhi becomes a math genius with a ‘neuron-recharging’ injection called Brain Booster. As he morphs into a violent Frankenstein, the Budhia (remember the 6-year-old marathon runner?) metaphor emerges: every child has its own destiny and parents shouldn’t get ambitious for them. The narrative is tedious, the audience fails to empathise with the characters. Only Irrfan delivers; he is like the spine that makes the film stand. My pet peeve: in-film...
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