Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Review: Ajay Devgn and Tabu starrer makes love look dead and dull
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is a romantic thriller that stars Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Jimmy Sheirgill, Shantanu Maheshwari, and Saiee Manjrekar. The story is written and directed by Neeraj Pandey and produced by Friday Filmworks, NH Studioz, and Panorama Studios. MM Kreem composed the music, while Manoj Muntasir penned the lyrics. Sudheer Palsane was the cinematographer, and Praveen Kathikuloth did the editing. The movie's runtime is 145 minutes.
Movie Review: Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Release date: August 2
Where To Watch: Theatres
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Jimmy Sheirgill, Shantanu Maheshwari, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
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What is it about?
It's a story of Krishna (Ajay Devgn) and Vasudha (Tabu), whose love story remains incomplete due to a major tragedy that changes their lives forever. It all started in 2001 when young Krishna (Shantanu Maheshwari) and young Vasudha (Saiee Manjrekar) met, fell in love, and dreamed of a beautiful future together. However, one twist in their tale changes their fate, and Krishna is sent to prison for 22 years. Will their love for each other remain the same, despite everything?
What's hot?
It's one of those movies where the music album shines a lot better than the story. MM Kreem has skillfully crafted songs that, at times, make you forget the on-screen scene isn't truly vibrant. Songs like Tuu and Ae Dil Zara truly have the power to captivate you with their wonderful rhythm and powerful lyrics.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is not a love story, but rather a story about love. Neeraj Pandey's intention was to illustrate that love encompasses more than just joy and laughter. There are challenges, and some are so big that nothing can be done to undo the consequences. Pandey intended to tell us how true love is unconditional, and no distance, no tragedy, and no obstacle would change that. The director's intentions are evident, but it doesn't come off that well on celluloid.
Aside from the music, Shantanu Maheshwari's performance as Young Krishna was another favourite part of Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha. The actor captivates you with his act, and he doesn't try to imitate Ajay Devgn just because he's playing the actor's younger version. Shantanu's performance wins you over, leaving you invested in his story.
What's not?
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha takes too much time for the buildup. There's nothing substantial happening until the interval block. One hopes that the story will pick up post-interval, surprising us with the teased twists from the beginning. Sadly, so much time is wasted going back and forth in the past and present, repetition of a particular sequence, and awkwardness on screen that you end up guessing what the twist could be. So there's no surprise element left for you towards the end.
Ajay Devgn and Tabu's performances look restricted, and the actors are underutilised. We understand that after so many years, two individuals who shared such a deep bond and left on a traumatic note will have that uneasiness between them. But that could've been presented nicely too. In the movie, it looks like the makers had no clue what to make their characters talk. So most scenes are filled with uncomfortable silences and slow dialogue. When it comes to dialogue, the lines are quite outdated, and even the serious lines about love and relationships leave you in a state of shock.
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Final Verdict
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha had all the potential to be a beautiful story of unconditional love. Neeraj Pandey's idea of not following the typical "happy ending" in a romance genre is quite commendable too. However, the love in this story looks completely dead and dull. It makes romance look boring most of the time. An action sequence in the prison in the second half isn't much fun to watch. MM Kreem's exceptional music album deserves a better story.