Ae Watan Mere Watan Review: This historical drama salutes the bravery of our one of unsung freedom fighter Usha Mehta Ji
Ae Watan Mere Watan Movie Rating: 3.5 Stars
Watched Ae Watan Mere Watan movie on Prime Video. Let’s focus on the complete details, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this movie.
Cast: Sara Ali Khan, Anand Tiwari, Sachin Khedekar, Abhay Verma, Sparsh Shrivastav, Alexx O’Nell, Benedict Garrett, Godaan Kumar and Emraan Hashmi
Director: Kannan Iyer
Release Date: 21st March 2024 on Prime Video
Story: Movie around the courageous actions of Usha Mehta (Sara Ali Khan) who, at a tender age, embraced celibacy and dedicated herself to India’s struggle for independence. Her father Hariprasad Mehta (Sachin Khedekar) is a judge in British Government which Usha does not like as she follows Gandhi ji ideologies.
Usha and her circle of friends Kaushik (Abhay Verma) and Fahad (Sparsh Shrivastav) pledge to contribute to the freedom movement by aligning themselves with the Congress. Upon their association with the Congress, they realize the existence of a communication gap among the freedom fighters, recognizing its urgency in hastening India’s liberation.
With the assistance of Firdaus Engineer (Anand Tiwari), Usha establishes an underground radio station bridging the divide among the freedom fighters. 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.
In her quest to aid India’s independence, she receives support from the likes of Ram Manohar Lohia (Emraan Hashmi). He understands that the message needs to reach wider and for that they require a repeater. Obviously, the Congress Radio also catches the attention of the British. They assigned a no-nonsense officer, John Lyre (Alexx O’Nell) to kill the radio station and nab the ones running it. What happened next is all about this film.
Positives
1. Performances
2. Story
3. Direction
4. Cinematography
5. Climax
Negatives
1. Length
2. Screenplay
3. Music
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this film planned to watch this movie on its premiere date as liked the trailer and wanted to know about our unsung freedom fighter Usha Mehta Ji.
Movie about India’s struggle for freedom in 1942, on the life of Usha Mehta, a brave young girl who starts an underground radio station to spread the message of unity, setting off a thrilling chase with the British authorities during the Quit India movement.
Ae Watan Mere Watan sheds light on a lesser-known tale from India’s struggle for independence, a narrative that played a significant role in altering the trajectory of India’s quest for freedom following Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India movement. This biographical drama engages audiences with its portrayal of the era, boasting rich art direction that vividly captures the mood of the country during that period. However, at its core, it leans more towards being a thriller, focusing on the protagonist’s endeavour to safeguard the underground radio station while evading capture by the British authorities. This premise promises several heart-pounding moments of thrill, yet the filmmakers fall short in fully capitalizing on this potential. The difficulties that Usha and her friends face after starting the Congress Radio has been shown extremely well. There’s a sequence where Usha has to collect a repeater and that is executed beautifully. The techniques used by the Brits to find out about the Congress Radio compel viewers’ interest. The production design is impeccable, and the cinematography is excellent. Special mention to the pre-climax stairway scene which is shot brilliantly. Sara Ali Khan delivers an earnest performance, but Sparsh Shrivastav & Emraan Hashmi excels.
On the flipside, the film does not delve deeper into this thrilling aspect, leaving viewers longing for more exploration of its gripping elements. Despite engaging narrative, yet it falls short of reaching its full potential for thrill. It follows a routine template and there isn’t much novelty in presentation. This makes the movie feel less gritty. Also, the stereotypical representation of the British officers doesn’t help. The love story track is the weakest part of the film. Kaushik’s decision to leave Usha and later return is unconvincing. The direction is overall satisfactory but, in some places, it leaves a lot to be desired. Overall, movie is a simple yet rousing revolutionary tale with earnest performances and a big heart. It is worth watching as it presents an untold chapter of Indian history. My view on this movie Highly Recommended.
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