Director: Neeraj Pandey
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, and Jimmy Sheirgill
Rating: 1.5/5
Ajay Devgn’s ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ had the potential to be a heartbreaking tale about love and separation. It, however, ends up being one of the weakest films of the actor’s storeyed career.
‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ centres on Krishna (Ajay/Shantanu Maheshwari), a simpleton with big dreams who hits a sweet spot in life after facing several hardships. He earns the opportunity to visit Germany for a work-related assignment. Moreover. He is in a steady relationship with Vasudha (Tabu/Saiee Manjrekar), His life, however, is turned upside down following a shocking incident. Many years later, after completing a prison sentence, he returns to the “outside world” to reunite with Vasudha. The rest of the story revolves around their past and their attempts to move on.
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‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ has pretty much everything that one expects from a romantic-thriller right from a top-notch cast to an intriguing premise. It, however, fails to make any impact because of the bland screenplay. Neeraj Pandey, who has previously written well-received flicks such as ‘Baby’ and ‘MS Dhoni’, fails to deliver with his latest offering. ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ begins with a sequence set in a prison through which the director tries to build an aura around Ajay’s character. Sadly, the scene lacks the organic intensity needed to enthrall the audience.
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As a result, it feels forced and staged. ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ goes further downhill from here as the makers struggle to flesh out the characters. The flashback sequences feel rushed and generic. Saiee and Shantanu’s underwhelming chemistry further dilutes the impact of these scenes, making it virtually impossible for one to take an interest in the characters and their journeys.
‘ Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ picks up once Jimmy Sheirgill, who plays Vasudha’s husband Abhijeet, enters the scene. However, this too eventually counts for nothing as the makers are unable to explore his backstory. As a result, the character comes across as one-dimensional.
His scenes with Ajay are mildly engaging but would have worked better had the world-building been upto the mark.
Tabu and Ajay’s scenes too have potential but fall flat as, unlike in the yesteryear classic ‘Aandhi’, their silences do not talk.
Coming to the performances, Ajay Devgn tries to rise about the poor script but the director doesn’t really really give him a chance to internalise the character, which is a real shame given his abilities. The same applies to Tabu’s performance as well. Saiee and Shantanu put their best foot forward but clearly deserved better.
It is, however, Jimmy who gets the weakest and most forgettable character of the lot. He tries his level best to channelise his character’s insecurities but the writing just doesn’t let him do tha.
The music, composed by MM Kreem, is one of the film’s biggest highlights. However, none of the songs have a long shelf-life. There are a few action scenes but they pale in comparison to what Ajay has done in his previous films.
To conclude, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is a forgettable attempt at storytelling with no redeeming qualities.
