Brief Explanation

A WIDOWER DISCOVERS THAT HIS ONLY SON, ASHU, IS AUTISTIC. AND THAT THERE IS NO CURE FOR THIS DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER. THE TVC IS THE STORY OF HIS JOURNEY OVER THE NEXT 15 YEARS, OF HOW HE TAKES THIS BLOW IN HIS STRIDE, AND FORGES AHEAD, HIS HEAD HELD HIGH. AS ASHU GROWS FROM A TODDLER TO AN ADOLESCENT, HIS FATHER WORKS AT BALANCING BOTH, HIS JOB, AND HIS SON'S DEMANDING CONDITION. THEIRS IS A TALE OF RESILIENCE, SPIRIT, LOVE AND COMMITMENT. AND THEN, JUST WHEN WE THINK THAT ALL IS WELL, UNCERTAINTY STRIKES AGAIN. IS ASHU'S FATHER PREPARED TO FACE IT? OR WILL HE SUCCUMB TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND HIS CONTROL? THIS COMMERCIAL FROM BIRLA SUN LIFE INSURANCE ASKS US ALL TO BELIEVE IN OURSELVES, BY MAKING A FUNDAMENTAL STATEMENT ABOUT LIFE. WE CANNOT STOP DESTINY. BUT DESTINY CANNOT STOP US EITHER.

Creative Execution

Casting for this film had two most important areas, the believability of the characters and the age progression. For the lead character Atul, our aim was that audiences must relate to the characters in the film as if he could be someone in their own family or friend circle. The acting prowess also needed to be of an exemplary standard to bring out the subtle nuances hidden within the lines of the story. The next biggest challenge was to find a set of lookalike kids who will portray the same character in different age and bring out traits of autism through the performance. To begin with we attempted to try and get autistic kids to audition for us for the authenticity of the film. However we realized in the course of the audition that we may get certain kids to play the role but while doing so we may put them through a lot of mental & physical stress to achieve what we want. So we abandoned that idea. We then auditioned more than 250 kids within different age groups & prepared multiple combinations based on their looks & acting skills and finalized the best.