Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – After 20 years in prison, a man reunites with his lost love and the truth behind his crimes is revealed.

My Take – Right from his directorial debut, A Wednesday (2008), Neeraj Pandey has become synonymous for helming and backing high quality thrillers. With his follow-up ventures like Special 26 (2013) and Baby (2015) only further cementing his status as a modern master of the genre.

Only switching gears once to helm the excellent MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), the biographical sports drama on former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. However, with the critical and commercial failure of Aiyaary (2018), he shifted his talents towards directing and creating a couple of OTT series, particularly the well-regarded spy franchise Special Ops on Disney+ Hotstar.

Hence, it came as a moment of celebration when he announced his six years long return to feature directorial duties, especially as he was attempting to tread off from his beaten path in the form of a serious mature love story.

And, as one would expect, though he does handle the film with enough panache to keep viewers intrigued, unfortunately, while doing so, he is not able to veer us away from the fact that his screenplay is entirely predictable and is standing on a wafer-thin plot.

On paper, a tale of star-crossed lovers reuniting after two decades might sound interesting, however, the film is just too long-drawn and laborious to watch. With certain scenes just repeated, struggling to make an impact.

Yes, Ajay Devgn and Tabu continue to make for an excellent onscreen pair, but the film’s humdrum narrative, predictable plot, and tonal inconsistencies overshadow whatever potential the original draft had.

The story mainly follows Krishna (Ajay Devgn), an inmate serving a 25 year sentence for committing double murders. Back in 2001, Krishna (Shantanu Maheshwari) was a bright young chap with a promising future ahead of him, particularly with the love of his life, Vasudha (Saiee M Manjrekar), who too dreamed of a big life. That in until a dark night changed their destiny.

Now being released, after serving 23 years of his sentence, due to good behavior, an older Krishna finds himself unready to face the outside world. A world in which Vasudha (Tabu), has been married to Abhijeet (Jimmy Shergill) for the past 12 years. What follows is a lot of back and forth delving into the emotional depth and the changing dynamics of their relationship over two decades.

Unfortunately, director Pandey’s execution lacks coherence. The nonlinear approach appears disjointed, leaving the narrative feel tedious. Even Pandey’s script, which aims to be a lesson in subtlety, allowing the characters and their emotions to take center stage, is inconsistent in its tonality, with elements of old school affairs. However, the film’s biggest drawbacks is its predictability.

The plot borrows elements from various films over the years, resulting in a mix that leads to an uninspired climax one can foresee from far off. Surprisingly, the soundtrack, composed by Oscar-winner M. M. Keeravani, isn’t also memorable.

Performances wise, Ajay Devgn and Tabu are their usual excellent self. Though their roles are reminiscent of many characters they have played over the years, the iconic duo do all they can to lift the underwritten film.

Jimmy Shergill too is earnest in his small role. Shantanu Maheshwari and Saiee M Manjrekar do well in their respective roles. Their innocent and earnest portrayal of young love forms the film’s emotional core, providing a stark contrast to the more jaded, older characters. On the whole, ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ is a tedious romantic drama that is overly long and predictable.