Ajay Devgn and Tabu in a scene from ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ | Photo Credit: YouTube/NH Studios
Sometimes we read stories on the crime pages of local newspapers where the motive behind the crime leaves us shocked. Stories where a person sacrifices his career and existence so that his love can survive. Writer-director Neeraj Pandey takes a break from his gripping spy thrillers to present one such story of sacrifice in romance. Where were the othersWhile promising to be invigorating in its simplicity, it turns out to be a boring, stale, and at times unintentionally entertaining experience.
The problem is that the soul of the story does not come through on screen consistently. Perhaps this bitter-sweet idea could have been presented better by a non-star cast. Perhaps, the production could have tried to find some new locations for the romance in Mumbai and create sets that would be different from the romance. The trailer could have been less explanatory and Neeraj could have been less complimentary in his treatment of the central character. This is a film in which the background score fails to maintain the emotional suspense of the scenes.
Deeply in love, Krishna (Shantanu Maheshwari/ Ajay Devgn) and Vasudha (Saie Manjrekar/ Tabu) are separated due to circumstances. Vasudha’s social background, living in a chawl, forces her to move on in life, but she is unable to keep Krishna out of her thoughts. For Krishna, Vasudha is the purpose of his life. How they connect when they finally meet again is the purpose of the film. Unfortunately, the journey leading up to the incident that separates the two is far more interesting than what follows, mainly due to the young actors playing the younger versions of the stars.
Where was the strength in others (Hindi)
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Mould: Ajay Devgan, Tabu, Jimmy Shergill, Shantanu Maheshwari, Sai Manjrekar, Sayaji Shinde
Duration: 144 minutes
Plot: Krishna and Vasudha are separated due to circumstances; two decades later, they meet again for the last time
Neeraj beats so much drum to enhance Ajay’s image that the impact of sacrifice, the very essence of love, is muted. Pain, loneliness and anguish hardly come across as the film focuses on creating an aura around its lead character. In keeping with Neeraj’s spy space, Krishna needed to stay under the radar, but the director is a little too eager to celebrate the character’s unusual larger-than-life appeal. Having cast a hero in a non-heroic role, he keeps creating ways to shower stardust on him.
There is no doubt that there is still room for selfless love, there is still an audience for old-school melodrama, with Ajay and Tabu having the chemistry and substance to sell them. However, their bond here does not seem to be connected with the soul of the story. Their conversations are more monotonous than intoxicating and MM Cream’s tunes do not help them either. Jimmy Shergill as the third wheel in the love story has become as predictable as the sunrise. He serves only as a rite of passage and he makes us well aware of it.
Ajay Devgn and Tabu in a scene from ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ | Photo Credit: YouTube/NH Studios
This situation provides opportunities for self-referential humour, but it doesn’t quite gel. The only time it really surprises anyone is when Krishna’s friend Jignesh (Jay Upadhyay, the ubiquitous malleable friend material in Hindi films) turns on the radio in the car and it plays for whom I lived (Dilwale, 1993, The saga of a spurned lover in the 1990s.
Such one-sided behaviour ensures that the veterans cannot carry forward the innocent romantic relationship shown by Shantanu and Sai in their younger versions. Shantanu, who showed that he has the passion and skill for the big screen Gangubai KathiawadiOnce again, Shantanu impresses as the young Krishna. Saiee has done a competent job as the humble but spunky girl, but the TV soap-like treatment leaves only thin bubbles in the air. One never gets the impression that Shantanu and Saiee can physically and emotionally become Ajay and Tabu.
Usually in Bollywood stories, the young characters are introduced in such a way that you wait for the seniors to come and take over the scene. Here you wait for the flashback to bring life to the scene. This division is reduced AMKDT An uneven theatrical experiment where the source material is strong, there are initial sparks but the end product feels false.
Auror me kahan tha is currently running in theatres
