Ae Watan Mere Watan Movie Review

Ae Watan Mere Watan is a 2024 historical drama/biopic film based on the life of Usha Mehta, a young girl who made a mark in the 1942 struggle for Independent India. The film is directed by Kannan Iyer Kannan Iyer is a versatile Indian actor, writer, a >> Read More... and produced by Karan Johar Karan Johar is one among the top ten celebrities i >> Read More... . The cast includes Sara Ali Khan Sara Ali Khan is the daughter of the Bollywood act >> Read More... , Alexx O’Nell, Emraan Hashmi Emraan Hashmi is one of the most successful & cont >> Read More... and others.

Plot

Ae Watan Mere Watan translates to “O Country, My Country”. The film is a biopic of Usha Mehta, a young but revolutionary girl who grew up in the age of British-occupied India, a landscape filled with tension and revolt.

It revolves around how Usha, deeply troubled by the colonial struggle, and the support of many Indians, including her father, towards the Congress, takes it upon herself to further the revolution. In 1942, being only 22 years old, she starts a secret radio station to transmit messages of unity, freedom and independence amongst the Indian people.

Her efforts prove to work wonderfully, setting off the British authorities and starting a whole new chapter in the freedom struggle. Though short-lived, her story is both inspiring and revolutionary.

Star Performance

The main character of the film is Usha Mehta, portrayed by Sara Ali Khan. Unfortunately, she does not seem to fit too well into the role. The character of Usha is rough, fierce, determined, headstrong, but Sara Ali Khan's portrayal is too sophisticated and dainty to be compelling.

The film stars Alexx O'Nell as John Lyre. He has done a good job. Other impressive roles include Abhay Verma Abhay Verma is a popular TV and movie actor cum mo >> Read More... and Sparsh Srivastav. A surprising cameo in the film was made by Emraan Hashmi as Ram Manohar Lohia, which adds a welcome complexity and depth to the film. Uday Chandra Uday Chandra is an Indian on-screen character, kno >> Read More... as Gandhi has also done an inspiring job.

Analysis

The film Ae Watan Mere Watan has a lot of potential. It is powerful storyline that gives voice to powerful characters that are not frequently represented in Bollywood cinema. However, the film is filled with flaws.

The film is set in a riveting landscape. Indian freedom struggle in the early 1940s provides engaging visuals and a strong and inspiring base for the story. We meet freedom fighters and revolutionaries that the world does not even know about. The film certainly brings a very intriguing story to the table.

Yet, the film is neither powerful, nor intriguing, nor inspiring. The writing of the film is its fatal flaw. It sticks to hard to cliches, the dialgues, the relationships between the characters, certain scenes of the film; they all seem dull and drab and not at all moving.

There are some characters that leave a mark, such as Sparsh Srivastav as the young, crippled revolutionary and Emraan Hashmi as Ram Manohar Lohiya. Unfortunately, however, none of those characters are Usha Tiwari, the revolution that the film is actually supposed to be the center of the film. Even other prominent characters like Gandhi and Nehru leave little impact.

The film is meant to be about love, patriotism and revolution. A film that centres around these ideals can often be hard to handle, and Ae Watan Mere Watan does not really put up a strong show. There are good elements in the film, such as emotional scenes, etc, that are a saving grace. But overall, this movie does not have any appeal whatsoever.

What's There?

• The plot is good in the beginning.
• Good characters.

What's Not There?

• The writing is bad and dull.
• The director does not make full use of the story's potential.

Verdict

Ae Watan Mere Watan is a subpar attempt at a moving historical drama. It fails to be powerful and deliver any meaningful message. There are many areas that the film must improve to create any semblance of a coherent film.