THE overview
At the height of Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India movement. A young girl attempts to bring together freedom fighters by initiating an underground radio station so as to bridge communication gap.
‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ is about a little known episode from the struggle for independence in India. That changed the course of India’s freedom fight after Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India movement. This biographical drama captures the mood of that era with rich art direction. But it is essentially more like a thriller marked mostly by the protagonist’s efforts. To save her secret radio station and avoid capture by British authorities. This setting promises many thrilling moments but it seems that filmmakers have missed this chance. However, as much as the film tries to be gripping, it ends up not being able to develop into one.
The storyline for ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ draws its inspiration from true stories revolving around Usha Mehta (Sara Ali Khan) who was celibate at a very young age and engaged herself into fighting for Indian independence. The movie starts in 1930 Surat and then shifts to Mumbai in 1942 where Usha’s father becomes a judge under British rule. The significant scene shows Usha’s father displaying his car gifted by British people which displays her obvious anger towards British empire itself. After embracing Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals, Usha and her group pledge allegiance to Congress Party.
With an aim of contributing towards this movement of liberation. In order to attain freedom like their hero did through nonviolence. Upon joining Congress, they discover that there is no direct contact between different groups and individuals among them. Such that hastening India’s liberation will require addressing this communication gap urgently. With Firdaus Engineer playing key role (Anand Tiwari), Usha builds an undercover radio station which unites all these fighters together again organizing them against immunity cautioning about brits themselves. Ram Manohar Lohia (Emraan Hashmi) and others were among those who helped her in the fight for freedom of India. After their plan has been discovered by British authorities, it turns into a dangerous game with high stakes.
Sara Ali Khan’s portrayal of Usha Mehta is earnest but it just scrapes the surface. This is a difficult character given its historical significance in the freedom struggle. Though there are many powerful scenes mostly involving Usha’s discussions with Kaushik and conversations between Usha and her father none have revealed much emotion. The performance given by Sara is underplayed not allowing them to come alive fully. John Lyre (Alexx O’Nell), the antagonist assigned to arrest Usha and shut down the radio station. Does little to add depth to his character as his perpetually sour expression suggests.
There are actors who cannot communicate effectively through body language or facial expressions at all times. The two best performances in this film are from Sparsh Srivastav as Fahad and Emraan Hashmi playing Ram Manohar Lohia role. Sparsh’s intense portrayal rings true while Emraan Hashmi adds another feather to his already impressive array of acting skills by portraying Ram Manohar Lohia, one of India’s great freedom fighters.”
The film is a captivating narrative but it lacks the intensity that could have made it more thrilling. Also,It reminds me of the recent series streaming at all the lights we can’t see featuring Mark Ruffalo, Hugh Laurie and Aria Mia Loberti. The film would have been more satisfying if it had matched the excitement of such series. This historical drama remains true to its representation without any extra trimmings, however there is room for expansion.
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