‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ Movie Review: Ajay Devgn and Tabu’s Love Story Struggles To Find Its Heart in an Over-Stretched Screenplay (LatestLY Exclusive)

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Movie Review: Some love stories, they say, are for the ages. Neeraj Pandey's Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is a love story that feels like it has been going on for ages; so much you feel exhausted by the end. The film concludes with the message, "somethings never end..." That's the best honest self-opinion the movie can have about itself, and I don't know how I can top that in my review. Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha feels like Neeraj Pandey's version of the Tamil hit 96, about two former lovers reuniting after years, spending the day together before they go their separate ways, except this one has murders, prison and prison fights. While the lead performances are good, there is no "dum" in the director's first foray into tragic love stories after serving spy thrillers, heist movies, and terrorism dramas. ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ Review: Critics Say Ajay Devgn and Tabu’s Film Lacks Impact Due to Its Slow Pace and Predictable Plot.

Krishna (Ajay Devgn) is serving his 25-year jail sentence for a double murder he committed. He hasn't told anyone why he did it, and after 22 years, the prison has become his home. He is anxious about the world outside, so when he is told that his sentence is cut short two years early on grounds of good conduct, he is hesitant. A major reason for that is Vasudha (Tabu), his former love, who has married someone else.

Watch the Trailer of 'Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha':

Nevertheless, Krishna has to step into the outside world, and not wanting to live in the city, he makes arrangements to fly to Dubai that very night. To his surprise, Vasudha comes to meet him. How these two spend the rest of that day in Mumbai and what exactly happened 22 years ago, form the main plot of Auron Mein Kahan Dum.

'Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha' Movie Review - Good Ideas That Don't Work Well in Movie

I thought Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha started off nicely. It begins with the young lead couple (played by Shantanu Maheshwari and Saiee Manjrekar) sitting at the Bandstand, watching the now-functional Bandra-Worli Sea Link being constructed while they whisper sweet nothings to each other. The film then shifts to Krishna in jail and establishes how he is respected and also someone who should not be messed with. His reluctance to step outside into a world that could be alien to him, where he thinks no one awaits him, is also nicely expressed. I could see that there are good ideas here, even if the plot breeds familiarity.

For example, check out the scene when Krishna and Vasudha return to Marine Drive, which used to be their romantic hangout years back, and Vasudha keeps getting interrupted by calls on her mobile. This contrasts with the last time we saw them at that spot, where they spent hours together without being disturbed. Circumstances have changed for them now, and technology has become an intrusive but essential entity in that private space, showing Krishna that his world is no longer the same.

But like I said before, these are just good ideas that may have worked well in the writing space, but Neeraj Pandey doesn't manage to underline those in his movie. The filmmaker might have aced how to film plotting and catching terrorists on screen, but directing a love story that aims to touch your heart is a different ballgame altogether, and watching Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, I keep feeling this isn't Mr Pandey's game here.

'Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha' Movie Review - The Love Story That Lacks Fresh Appeal

In fact, after that nice first-act setup, the movie soon begins to lose its momentum when it delves into the flashbacks to show the "young" love story. While it is nice to see Bollywood return to smaller localities and residential areas in Mumbai, the romance lacks freshness. The chemistry between Shantanu and Saiee is definitely cute, and they bring in the innocence needed for their chaste love story. But the track itself doesn't have much to offer, save for the dramatic development that lands Krishna in jail.

This particular development becomes the focal point of the second half, so much so that it is revisited thrice: once when Krishna remembers that moment on his own, once when he is asked about it by Vasudha's husband Abhijeet (Jimmy Sheirgill), and a third time that I won't mention here for spoiler reasons. The issue is the scene didn't need the one extra revisit (which one I won't say), when you could clearly have made the inference the first time. This tests the runtime of an already bloated film, and this is not the only example of Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha stretching a paper-thin story beyond the limits of patience.

There are scenes that could have been conveyed with a couple of dialogues, but Pandey ends up still showing us those. For example, when Krishna narrates the capture of a don in Thailand to Abhijeet, which has nothing much to do with the main plot, Pandey—who might have been missing his thriller sagas—has us see how it happened, which does nothing except for expanding the tedium. They say, "Show, don't tell." Neeraj Pandey is going in a different direction here—he "showed" and "told." ‘Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’ Box Office: Release Date Change Hasn’t Helped Ajay Devgn-Tabu’s Movie; Neeraj Pandey’s Romantic Drama Records Poor Advance Ticket Sales.

'Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha' Movie Review - Too Bloated For Its Own Good

After a weak and cumbersome first half, I expected the second half to focus on spending more time with Ajay Devgn and Tabu and have more scenes of them together. Instead, the movie actually spends more time with Krishna rendezvousing with her husband, who is determined to find out what happened that night. Jimmy Sheirgill is affable as the kind-hearted, self-professed "insecure" husband, and Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha sets up the meeting expecting some tense sparks to fly. Nothing really happens, though, except for a usually reticent Krishna pouring his secret memories out to a man he just met so that the movie finds a reason to show why his sacrifice is more than you expected it to be.

The writing just doesn't make this portion of the film engaging in any manner because you could already see the writing on the wall. There is a major revelation towards the end of it, but it's nothing that would shake your world, except it allows Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha to stretch its core theme of sacrifice for love. Oscar winner MM Keeravani's score is okay; it lacks the memorable quality of some of his earlier compositions for Bollywood, like in Zakhm, Paheli, and Sur.

The film's ending gave me even more regret—the final scene between Devgn and Tabu brings some poignance, and it was a charm to see these two stars bring the emotional depth that Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha was craving for more than two hours with their performances. Sadly, it was too late, too little by then.

'Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is a film that had the potential to be a poignant love story but ended up being a patience-testing exercise thanks to its weak screenplay and bloated runtime. While the premise and performances show promise, the execution is hampered by a lack of narrative focus and pacing issues with several scenes that are in a dire need of trimming.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 02, 2024 02:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).