Portraying a real-life character on-screen comes with a huge responsibility. It needs to be convincing, especially if it is about an unsung hero who relentlessly fought for India’s freedom during the British Raj. Ae Watan Mere Watan starring Sara Ali Khan and Emraan Hashmi is inspired by the life of freedom fighter Usha Mehta and the important events that happened during the Quit India Movement in 1942. The film is directed by Kannan Iyer. It also stars Alex O’Nell, Sparsh Srivastava and Abhay Verma in pivotal roles. Ae Watan Mere Watan tells a brilliant story that somewhere got lost in the pages of history, however, the film has a lot of flaws as well. From performance to direction and storytelling, here’s a detailed review of the Sara Ali Khan film Ae Watan Mere Watan.
Plot
Ae Watan Mere Watan tells the story of the Quit India Movement, in 1942 in Mumbai, and the young and brave freedom fighter Usha Mehta. The movie picks up all the important events that happened in her life and also shows some bits from her childhood. Ae Watan Mere Watan highlights the brutality of the British Raj during the Quit India Movement, the arrests of great freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi and others, the rally at Gowalia Tanks Ground in Mumbai, and the crucial role that Usha Mehta (Sara Ali Khan) played during that time. Ae Watan Mere Watan also touches upon the personal aspects of Usha Mehta’s life like her relationship with her father (Sachin Khedekar), a judge during the British Raj. It also shows the support that she got from her friends Fahad (Sparsh Srivastava) and Kaushik (Abhay Verma) during the freedom struggle. However, in the latter half, the movie primarily focuses on Usha Mehta’s initiative of starting the Secret Congress Radio along with her accomplices and the role played by Ram Manohar Lohia (Emraan Hashmi) in making it reach the larger masses. Ae Watan Mere Watan also covers a part of Usha Mehta’s arrest in 1942 and how she became an unsung hero during the Independence movement.
Also Read: Ae Watan Mere Watan Star Sara Ali Khan Reveals She Was Being Copied: “It Bothered Me”
Negatives
Performance
Sara Ali Khan: Firstly, kudos to Sara Ali Khan for playing the challenging character of a woman of steel, Usha Mehta. While the actress was impressive in some scenes, overall she fails to make this a convincing performance. Sara Ali Khan’s dialogue delivery was quite a disappointment, and it did not rouse any kind of patriotic feeling or strong emotions in me. This is solely because her performance lacked conviction. Considering the revolutionary events that happened in Usha Mehta’s life, Sara Ali Khan in some places made it look caricaturish. You can’t help but compare it with brilliant movies like Rang De Basanti or Raazi where groundbreaking performances became the pivotal point of keeping its audience engaged.
Emraan Hashmi: The actor aced the role of the great freedom fighter Ram Manohar Lohia but he is not as impressive as I might have expected him to be. This is also because of the nature of storytelling in Ae Watan Mere Watan. The lack of energy and emotions in his character was greatly felt throughout the film.
Storytelling And Execution
Ae Watan Mere Watan written by Darab Farooqui and Kannan Iyer does not lack research but fails in executing them all properly. The film touches upon several important events in Usha Mehta’s life but the storytelling falls flat. Ae Watan Mere Watan did not have an engaging continuity, it’s like different scenes combined to make a film. You don’t stay long enough in a scene to relate or understand the emotions of the characters or the gravity of the situation. The 2-hour 13 13-minute long film tried to put a lot of information for the audience to know while leaving them with a story that has little to no impact. In some scenes, I felt that the movie could have rather been a stage play!
The Pace And Direction
You know the film is good or bad in the first few minutes, and the pace matters the most to decide how engaging will it be. Ae Watan Mere Watan did not pick up speed in the first one and a half hours. The performance, direction and editing were not at all convincing even though it tells a story that needs to be heard. Since there was no consistency in the storytelling and emotions, Ae Watan Mere Watan lost its impact in the first half itself. The scenes where the masses are protesting or revolting against the Britisher look staged and the cinematography left me disappointed.
Positives
Sparsh Srivastav as Fahad was impressive in the film. He brought a strong character, emotion and conviction to the role and left a lasting impression in every scene. Sparsh shines in the emotional scenes and he is one of the few characters that left an impact on me and delivered the intentions of this film correctly.
Abhay Verma as Kaushik is a character that left me rooting for him. He does a great job of delivering the emotions of his character who takes upon the fight for freedom not for the love of his country but for the woman. Abhay Verma Kaushik is convincing during moments of confrontations with Usha Mehta (Sara Ali Khan) and he deeply makes you connect with the loss of his character, while I felt nothing on Sara Ali Khan’s part.
The last 30 minutes of the film are quite engaging because there is continuity. I was keen to know about the events that followed in Usha Mehta’s life after she took the risk of operating the Congress Radio when the Britishers had banned it. The storytelling picks up speed and adds a little thrill to the direction, while also showing the dilemma and determination in Usha Mehta’s life right before she got arrested in 1942.
Verdict
Sara Ali Khan and Emraan Hashmi starrer Ae Watan Mere Watan is a story that every Indian should know. It’s dedicated to those few unsung heroes like Usha Mehta whose determination, sacrifices and struggles laid the foundation for India to break itself from the shackles of the British Raj. However, the performances barring a few, storytelling, direction and pace are some major areas where Ae Watan Mere Watan goes wrong. While I appreciate the intent of this important film, the fact that it failed to leave any impact on me is something that cannot be ignored. You can give it a watch but the film will turn out to be a disappointment. It is currently streaming on Prime Video.