In the latest cinematic venture set against the tumultuous backdrop of India’s freedom struggle, “Ae Watan, Mere Watan” attempts to weave a tale of valor and audacity. Amid the resonating echoes of Mahatma Gandhi’s “do or die” call during the 1942 Quit India Movement, this film introduces audiences to the intrepid Usha Mehta, portrayed by Sara Ali Khan. The daughter of a barrister, played by Sachin Khedekar, Usha is gifted with a radio that inadvertently becomes her conduit to the wider world and the instrument of her subversion against colonial rule.
The narrative chronicles how Usha, absorbing the influence of Gandhi and the Congress party’s ideologies, musters the resolve to contribute to India’s fight for liberation. Her internal conflict intensifies as her father, a judge with loyalties to the British Raj, extracts from her a devastating ultimatum—to choose between her familial ties and the nationalist cause that pulsates through her veins.
The plot thickens as Usha, buoyed by her fellow patriots Kaushik (Abhay Verma) and Fahad (Sparsh Srivastav), ingeniously employs the radio to establish an underground broadcasting station. This defiant gesture secures her the support of Congress leader Ram Manohar Lohia, incarnated by Emraan Hashmi, who skillfully dodges capture by British forces.
Director Kannan Iyer’s homage to the historic epoch and the indomitable Usha Mehta, a vanguard Gandhian, is encapsulated within “Ae Watan, Mere Watan.” Despite Mehta being one of the pivotal yet overlooked architects of India’s independence, Iyer’s film struggles to offer her a fitting tribute. Sepia-toned visuals conjure up longing for that era’s fervor; however, the film stumbles in its portrayal, offering an incomplete tapestry of the events that unfolded.
Unfortunately, the film’s pacing is ponderous, and it stumbles into cliché-ridden territory often explored in previous cinematic recounts of the period. While rich in historical import and potent in premise, with Usha Mehta’s unwavering convictions waiting to be dynamically unfolded, the screenplay wavers, undermined by unremarkable dialogue and an unfocused treatment.
Sara Ali Khan, in her consecutive cinematic outing following “Murder Mubarak,” endeavors to channel the valorous and unyielding spirit of Usha Mehta. Nevertheless, the performance, along with Hashmi’s take on Lohia and other supporting roles, does not resonate with the endurance it aspires to embody.
In the final analysis, “Ae Watan, Mere Watan” grapples laboriously with its subject matter. What could have been a sharp, insightful chronicle of a stirring chapter in India’s history ends up as a drawn-out, monotonous recitation that desperately cries out for refinement. The movie’s ambition to drum up the high frequency of its historical theme only brings about a faint reverberation, falling short of stirring viewers’ hearts. Each scene, intended to pierce through the annals of time, unfortunately languishes, and the film concludes with a subdued echo rather than the roar of independence it seeks to capture.
Karan Johar’s production, now available on Amazon Prime Video, garners a meager 2 stars out of 5, reflecting a general consensus that while the idea and intent warrant applause, the enactment and delivery could have been significantly honed to match the audacity of the freedom fighters it portrays. “Ae Watan, Mere Watan” sets out to be a rousing tribute but ultimately lands as a missed opportunity to relive and enshrine a resolute spirit that once galvanized a nation.
