Many documentary films are heartrending, but not many like this one. The Black Sunshine Baby review tries to show how the filmmakers and family members of Aisha Chaudhary tell her story with the help of art and archival footage from different stages in her life.
This documentary is directed by Nilesh Maniyar and stars the Chaudhary family members, Aisha, Niren, Aditi and Ishaan, as core cast members. While Aisha isn’t alive anymore, her writing, art and archival footage were employed to seal the narrative. The film runs for 85 minutes and is produced by Pinu Pictures and Tia Productions.
Netflix’s description of this documentary reads:
Family memories and personal art movingly portray author and motivational speaker aisha Chaudhary’s journey with an immune disorder and terminal illness
-Black Sunshine Baby Review Contain Some Spoilers-
The film starts off by playing a video of her motivating speech for INK Talks’ All That Matters, showing her making her way up the stairs to the stage. Black Sunshine Baby takes on a chronological sequence for her story, starting right from the conception of her eldest sister Tanya. The background of this film is looming death, and there will be pain and grief coming soon in the next hour.
Using mixed media, like images, archival footage, interviews and graphics, the director has made a cohesive narrative encapsulating all aspects of Aisha’s personality. Right from the beginning, it has become clear that there is immense respect for the family members coming to tell the story. At no point, they are forced to say something they didn’t want to.
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This kind of fly-on-the-wall coverage makes the narrative extremely immersive for audiences to watch. It is emotional, moving and paints Aisha Chaudhary as a human who feels every extreme of the spectrum we call human emotion. Using her family as the closest source was also interesting because we get an insight into the person as an individual with layers as opposed to the one-dimensional picture painted for someone so widely known.
The film explores what it is like to lose someone young and be traumatised by a child’s death, only for it to happen all over again. The family members are treated with grace, given space to admit their regrets, and all the while honouring someone they loved dearly. The Sky is Pink is a fictional rendition of this story. While that is dramatised and packaged for effect, this film keeps the humanity and tone alive through sombre music and interludes of Aisha’s writing.
While The Sky is Pink tells a sliver of her life’s story, Black Sunshine Baby delves into all the facets of her life in London, the Netherlands and back in India. There are stories about the medical aspect of what happens when a person is sick. This documentary goes further to show the socialisation of the disease contributes to mental and behavioural aspects that retain even when a person grows up.
It highlights the importance of a support system during a crisis like this and separating the problems of an individual from the family to make prudent decisions. Credits are due to the family that chose to build a healthy system where both children felt respected and loved equally. The story may be about Aisha, but it points to a healthy family dynamic for one going through something this difficult.
Additionally, the film also speaks to the way able-bodied people come to illness and terminal disorders. It subtly indicates the ignorance and lack of compassion we have towards people with disabilities or illnesses. These illnesses can be physical or mental. Fortunately, the documentary also shines a light on how people can educate themselves.
Black Sunshine Baby Review: Final Thoughts
If you enjoyed watching The Sky is Pink, this would be another breath of fresh air. It is well-narrated, structured and recounts Aisha Chaudhary’s life with the respect and dignity it deserves. It doesn’t veer towards sensationalism and takes into account the perspectives of people who were closest to her.
Watch this film to understand the daily struggles of someone who did speak about choosing happiness every day but has her own human moments when there is no choice but to descend into anger and sadness.
Black Sunshine Baby is streaming on Netflix now. Has Aisha Chaudhary’s story inspired you? Let us know in the comments below.