Netflix s Ahaan Steers Clear of Sermons to Prioritise Person Over Performer
Nikhil Pherwaniâs debut film dignifies an unacknowledged dream.
A poster for Netflix s Ahaan .
Film18 hours ago
The first shot is of a young man sneaking into his fatherâs bedroom. He slips his feet in a black leather shoe. Wears a blazer and admires himself in the mirror. Smiles, poses, brushes his hair. Takes his spectacles off and strikes another pose. Ahaan (Abuli Mamaji) is imagining himself as a white-collar worker: a life heâs never had â a life he craves. But before he could plan his future, his past â his family, his âdisorderâ â decided on his behalf, for he has Down Syndrome. Nikhil Pherwaniâs debut,
Abuli Mamaji in Ahaan (2021) | Will Finds A Way Films/Netflix
Ahaan (Abuli Mamaji) is 25 years old and like many young men, dreams of a steady job, a nice house, a wife and two children. For now, Ahaan helps his home chef mother (Shilpa Mehta) with her deliveries. His father (Kaizaad Kotwal) is an stroppy man with little affection towards Ahaan, who has Down syndrome.
Among other places, Ahaan delivers his mother’s home-made brownies to Anu (Niharika Singh) and Ozzy (Arif Zakaria). This childless couple is having troubles of their own, stemming mainly from Ozzy’s obsessive-compulsive disorder. Anu sees Ahaan as a sweet boy, while Ozzy is rattled by him. Ahaan’s conduct and attitude often causes those around him – including a cute neighbour (Plabita Borthakur) – to misinterpret his inexperience and guilelessness.