Amazon Prime Video has been on a high. Just a couple of days back they released around 69 titles which they shall be releasing over the next few months. Now, they’ve released one of the last titles from their titles announced last year, ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’. The film takes you back to pre-independence times in India. It promises to give you a glimpse of the era when the Britishers were trying to do everything possible so as to make Indians suffer in their own land. But among the numerous freedom fighters, there were even some who had gone unrewarded, yet they kept on doing their duty towards the nation quietly without anyone noticing. ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ tells the story of one such unsung hero.
‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’: Story
In the midst of India’s freedom struggle in 1942, when the Quit India Movement was at its peak, Britishers tried to stop all forms of communication between Indian freedom fighters. That was done so that Indians couldn’t plan an uprising or do any activity against the British government. However, a brave young girl (Sara Ali Khan) starts an underground radio station taking a huge risk of life. She uses this radio station to spread the message of unity among people. Also, she tried to pass on important messages to the freedom fighters who couldn’t otherwise communicate with each other due to the sanctions by the British government. This sets off a thrilling chase with the British authorities who try to figure out how their plans were getting quashed and how Indian freedom fighters were able to co-ordinate and know each other’s plan so perfectly. The rest of the story revolves around this cat-and-mouse chase between the two parties involved.
‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’: Performances
Sara Ali Khan gives her career best performance in ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’. As I mentioned in my review for ‘Murder Mubarak’ as well, Sara Ali Khan needs to get consistency in her performances or rather, in the films that she picks up. She can’t be giving us such a brilliant performance in ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ and then ruin that entire hype with a terrible performance in the next film. She has been doing this throughout her career. She does a ‘Kedarnath’ and ‘Simmba’ which get her accolades, and then does a ‘Love Aaj Kal’ and ‘Coolie No 1’ which gets her brickbats. She makes it up once again with a good act in ‘Atrangi Re’ but puts everything in vain by doing a ‘Gaslight’. She then gives a great performance in ‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’ but throws all that goodwill down the drain by doing a ‘Murder Mubarak’, which was her absolute worst. However, she has ably made up for it by giving a lifetime best performance in ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’. The way she has brought the innocence in the character is what makes you like the character even more. The look and all is okay, but it’s the innate sense of patriotic feeling that Sara Ali Khan is able to incite in the audience’s minds and hearts is brilliant.
I’ve always believed that Emraan Hashmi is much more than the serial kisser tag that made him famous. Films like ‘Shanghai’ and ‘Awarapan’ have proved that. But with a small yet memorable performance in ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’, he proves himself once again that he is an actor who is utterly underrated and needs to be celebrated much more. His subtlety is what makes you like the character in ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ even more. It’s through his performance that you understand the depth and importance of what Sara Ali Khan’s character was doing. Looking forward to seeing Emraan Hashmi break shackles and do more such characters.
Sparsh Shrivastav takes the cake with a performance that you’ll feel so related to. He makes the character so real that you don’t feel as if an actor is playing it. You genuinely feel that he is the real person who went through all of those emotions in real life. That level of intensity Sparsh Srivastav brings to the table. He has been getting lauded for ‘Laapataa Ladies’ already, and ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ is just another worthy addition to his long list of accolades.
The other supporting characters have done their parts decently. Sachin Khedekar could have had a bit more screen time, I feel, but he churned the maximum out of the character. Alexx O’Nell, Anand Tiwari, Abhay Verma and others were also decent in their limited screen time.
‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects
Writers Darab Farooqui and Kannan Iyer’s writing is something that helps the movie go beyond the performances. Their writing tells a story that probably not many Indians know even today. We all have read about the Quit India Movement in text books, but no one knows what the scenario of the country was around that time. There are books that talk about those times, but let’s be honest, how many of today’s generation reads books as a pastime? So, when a similar narrative is picked up by a film and showcased onscreen, it leaves a lasting impression in the minds of people from today’s generation as to how those times must have been. I am not contesting the fact that there must have been some inaccuracies in the storyline, some of them may have been added in accordance with cinematic liberties, but the overall writing helps you as an audience get a view of the pre-independence times. Darab Farooqui and Kannan Iyer’s honesty towards the subject shows in the writing. They’ve picked up instances from Usha Thakkar’s book ‘Congress Radio: Usha Mehta And The Underground Radio Station Of 1942’ along with some bits which have been showcased in plays like ‘Kharr Kharr’ which was written by Pritish Sodha and Amatya Goradia.
The best part about Kannan Iyer’s depiction is that he hasn’t picked up a character that people know of and therefore they could toy along with the narrative really well. Even though he has tried to keep things as accurate as possible to real events, he has definitely taken a few liberties here and there, as there are not enough records talking of such unsung heroes of the freedom struggle. Also, another thing that Kannan Iyer has managed to do so brilliantly is keep the narrative engaging. He takes on the lion’s share of the story as a thriller and tells it as if a bank robbery is in progress. You’re kept on the edge of your seats in those scenes and towards the climax you just feel it getting on your nerves. Managing to evoke that feeling in the audience is a brilliantly done. Another thing that he manages to keep in check is the jingoism. You do feel patriotism run through your blood while watching the film, but at no instance does it goes overboard. A tricky balance to maintain, and a lot of the credit for that definitely goes to the actors as well.
Amalendu Chaudhary’s cinematography is one of the key highlights of the film. Within the first 5 minutes of the movie starting, you’re transported to that pre-independence era. There is not a single frame where you get a feel that they’ve missed out on something. Also, the touch of the sepia filter that he has used makes the film come out even more authentic.
The editing by Sangeeth Varghese was good, however, it could have been crisper. Kannan Iyer has shown it as a thriller, and therefore getting the nuances right was important. The cuts had to be seamless and yet give you the sense of a chill. It came out nicely. What’s slightly disappointing is the length of the film could have been shortened a bit. A little bit of pruning here and there could have made this even more taut and wrapped it up under 2 hours.
The weakest link of the entire film is the music by Mukund Suryawanshi, Akashdeep Sengupta and Shashi Suman. Don’t get me wrong, the background score was decent and was able to get you to the essence of the film really well, but the songs didn’t have much impact. In films depicting the freedom struggle, you’re compelled to watch the film after you get a sense of patriotism by listening to the songs before the release of the movie. Sadly, the makers missed out on that aspect as they weren’t able to elicit that feeling out in the audiences.
‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’: Cast & Crew
Direction: Kannan Iyer
Cast: Sara Ali Khan, Anand Tiwari, Sachin Khedekar, Abhay Verma, Sparsh Shrivastav, Alexx O'Nell, Benedict Garrett, Godaan Kumar, Emraan Hashmi
Available On: Amazon Prime Video
Duration: 2 Hour 13 Minutes
‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’: Can Kids Watch It?
Yes
Outlook’s Verdict
‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ will be remembered for Sara Ali Khan’s performance and for how Emraan Hashmi once again tried to break his image and do something strikingly different from whatever he has done in the past. The performances speak volumes and make the film worth your time. Not to forget the way the writers have managed to get the nitty-gritties of the Quit India Movement nicely. The setting of the film also is brilliant and gives you the thrills at the exact necessary points. You may debate over the correctness of all the information that’s given, as the interpretation of history always differs from eye to eye. Despite that, just as a thriller, this is a great One Time Watch. I am going with 3.5 stars.
