Friday Film Wrap: ‘The Sky Is Pink’ big release of the week

  • Director Shonali Bose’s biographical film 'The Sky Is Pink' starring Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, and Rohit Suresh Saraf is sincere
  • But the jauntiness is tonally confusing, the comedic moments misplaced and the attempt to be insouciant about death produces no emotional pay-offs

New Delhi: After the massive clash for Gandhi Jayanti at the box office last week, it’s a relatively dull Friday at the movies.
Director Shonali Bose’s biographical film The Sky Is Pink starring Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, and Rohit Suresh Saraf is sincere, but to have been effective, it needed stronger actors and less clutter and over-plotting, says Scroll. There are no treacly speeches and barely any tear-jerking moments. That should be a relief. But the jauntiness is tonally confusing, the frequent comedic moments misplaced and the attempt to be insouciant about death produces no emotional pay-offs. The non-linear structure, with flashbacks that stretch back to the protagonists’ courtship, produce many scenes of romance and friction, but little insight into a marriage severely tested by the death of a child.
Film Companion calls it a sincere yet sanitized look at extreme anguish. Until now, Bose’s storytelling had naturalistic textures, which served her tough subjects well. The Sky is Pink opts for a glossy aesthetic. There are speedboats, swanky homes, sweeping top shots of London and the Andamans. And no matter what the characters are grappling with, they are impeccably styled. This varnish undermines the authenticity of the emotions. The background music by Mikey McCleary is purposefully jaunty and counterintuitive to some of the situations on screen but this strategy works in only fits and starts.




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