Ae Watan Mere Watan Review: Sara Ali Khan Stars in This Lukewarm Tale of Azaadi

– No Spoilers –

Taking place in 1942 in the midst of the Quit India movement when Gandhiji’s non-violent protest was taking India by storm, Usha, a young woman with fire in her heart, starts an underground radio station to tackle the British’s unfair tyranny by uniting the country and do her bit to get freedom from India’s oppressors.

On paper, Ae Watan Mere Watan seems like a hopeful and inspiring film, with thrilling undertones because of the constant threat that Usha and her friends face at the hands of the British. There are monumentous dialogues, relatable motivations and a passion that can drive anyone who loves their country to beam with pride. The movie’s premise, focusing on a young but steadfast girl, creates an aura of reliability to her character. In spite of sitting in the 21st century, she seems as normal as us, but being set in a tumultuous time, her push to do something for her country makes her aspirational in a way as well.

This isn’t the first historical biography that focuses on the different people engaged in the battle for India’s freedom and how they were in reality and it won’t be the last. But the 2-hour+ movie definitely feels a bit different because of the person whom it chooses to follow. Plus, your blood boils thanks to the circumstances of the situation. It’s never easy or fun to watch your countrymen being abused and exploited by outsiders in their own homes and called lesser than. However, watching our own people fighting against their brothers in favour of the British might always be the most difficult pill to swallow.

In spite of all of these feelings going for the movie, it fails to make us connect to any of its characters. Even with an interesting backstory, Usha fails to keep us glued to the screen for 2+ hours and by the halfway point you’ll start to wonder when we will reach the end. I think although we might not know what awaits Usha in the end, the way the movie showcases the struggle for independence isn’t well done and there’s a flaw in the execution. Also, the movie oddly feels like it’s trying very hard to incorporate everything that happened during the freedom movement in its runtime and these moments feel a bit forced because they appear and disappear out of the blue.

Also, at some point, we hear Khan’s Usha mention that it’s difficult for her as a woman to get out of the house and thus fighting this battle has been a fulfilling part of her life. But the thing is, as an audience, we don’t see that – we don’t see her struggle to go out or do anything, to be honest. Sure, her father isn’t thrilled about his daughter getting beaten up by the British and whatnot but it never made me feel like it’s because she’s a woman. And yes, I know women face more issues when it comes to connecting with the outside world, but the thing is the creators show no issues in her having the freedom to study or even get a job later in life!

This movie never really reaches that peak tension that you’d expect considering the circumstances, which is a shame. The entire movie rests on Sara Ali Khan’s rather delicate shoulders and she isn’t able to truly make her character reach its true potential throughout the runtime of this rather lengthy movie. We don’t see or feel the vigour that a freedom fighter is expected to have because Khan herself feels unsure of where she stands. She has literally no chemistry with her other revolutionaries, who are also not good enough as spunky youths who will stop at nothing until freedom is received.

Khan’s eyes are mostly lifeless and at other times you don’t see the feelings that you’d expect getting translated through the screen. Most of the time I had to wonder what a person in Usha’s situation would feel because Khan’s interpretation is nothing short of confusing. She sometimes does shine, but heavily emotional moments are truly not her forte. Sparsh Shrivastav is the better one out of the three though. Sadly as well, Alexx O’ Nell, who plays the antagonist (well, apart from Britain itself you know) doesn’t feel threatening in any way.

Ae Watan Mere Watan Review: Conclusion

In the end, it’s the spirit of independence that brings out the goosebumps in this rather mellow drama. The inspirational story that we might have expected to watch comes out in its last few minutes. Although we get sparks of that passion sometimes, Usha’s story touches you in the end without warning. It could’ve been a better film definitely and doesn’t make your heart race as a thriller in such tumultuous times should, but Usha Mehta’s story is inspirational anyway, even though the movie isn’t able to really bring that out that well.

Ae Watan Mere Watan is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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