Rohit Saraf on joining Farhan-PeeCee at The Sky Is Pink premiere at Toronto film festival
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 20, 2019)

“It was surreal to see people screaming my name and waiting to take a photo with me,” beams Rohit Saraf, who has just returned from the world premiere of The Sky Is Pink at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Only 22, Saraf is the perfect example of how talent has little to do with age. After grabbing eyeballs with his roles in Dear Zindagi (2016) and Hichki (2018), Saraf is seen standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Farhan Akhtar in the family drama. “I believe that whoever watches the movie, will find something that they identify with,” says the youngster about the film that traces the love story of a couple — Aditi and Niren Chaudhary — told through the lens of their daughter, Aisha Chaudhary, who is diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Happy to share screen space with brilliant artistes such as Chopra and Akhtar so early on in his career, he heaps praises on the duo. “On the first few days, I was shy, even intimidated. But when you work with actors like Farhan and PeeCee, you learn the craft by simply watching them.”

So attached was Saraf to the material that he convinced director Shonali Bose to reinstate an emotional scene — featuring his on-screen father Akhtar and him — in the narrative. “I chased Shonali and him, convincing them to shoot the scene. Finally, when we filmed the scene, I gave my all to it.”