The Sky is Pink director Shonali Bose says her son's death drew her to Ayesha Chaudhary's story

The Sky Is Pink helmer Shonali Bose recently opened up to Variety on what drew her towards the story and how she suffered a breakdown in marriage after the loss of her child. Talking to the publication at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival, where the film is scheduled to premiere, Bose states that Ayesha Chaudhary, the girl on whom The Sky Is Pink’s based, had seen the trailer of the filmmaker’s first feature Margarita with a Straw. Ayesha had seen the trailer 30 times in a month and had conveyed to her parents that she hoped to live to see the film. Featuring Kalki Koechlin, Margarita with a Straw depicts the story of a young girl suffering from cerebral palsy. But, Ayesha was unable to see the film and passed away two weeks later. [caption id=“attachment_6796951” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Cast of The Sky Is Pink, along with director Shonali Bose and producers[/caption] Shonali says Ayesha’s parents watched the film four months later and realised the filmmaker had dedicated it to her son Ishaan. After that, the couple took six months to track Shonali down, who was in Los Angeles at the time. On meeting Shonali for the first time, Ayesha’s mother broke down saying, “I’ve lost my child and I want only one filmmaker in the world to tell her story.” The filmmaker further says, “For me as a filmmaker I was drawn to it for precisely that reason. I wanted to delve into that subject matter. I myself was very comfortable with my son’s death; at peace with it. I wanted to explore the couple’s relationship. I wanted to explore what happens to a love story, to a marriage, when faced with the loss of a child. My own marriage ended when I lost my son. 80% of people’s marriages end when they lose a child.” Shonali adds that she was glad that Ayesha’s parents managed to ‘make it.’ They stuck on with each other despite the upheaval and fell in love with each other again at 53 and were still together. The Sky Is Pink stars Farhan Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Zaira Wasim plays the child who is diagnosed with a terminal disease. The film is scheduled to hit theatres on 19 October.