It was an important story to be told: Farhan Akhtar

Some films touch your heart, while some make you think. And the recently-released The Sky is Pink, starring Farhan Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Zaira Wasim, did both. Commercially, it might not have been a recordbreaking film, but the content was high on emotions.

The simple storyline, based on the life of young motivational speaker, the late Aisha Chaudhary (who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis) saw Farhan step into the shoes of the protagonist’s father in the film, and his performance moved people. When asked what made him take up the role, Farhan’s answer is simple: “When I first read the script, I felt like it was an important story to be told.”

Add to that Farhan is a doting father to two daughters in real life, Shakya and Akira. Hence, he connected with the story in a jiffy. In fact, he tells us that viewers invested themselves so much into the story of The Sky is Pink, that they felt they were a part of the family’s journey. He has also been praised for the way he got under the character’s skin, which required him to underplay his emotions.

Happy with the way the film turned out, he says, “The response that we got for the film at

Toronto International Film Festival was overwhelming. Even after the release of the film here, I had a lot of parents who reached out to me and said that they felt like they were part of the Chaudhary family’s journey. This, for me, is the biggest validation and I am satisfied with whatever the film has done.”