AURON MEIN KAHAN DUM THA is slow and predictable

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Review 2.0/5 & Review Rating

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Movie Review Synopsis:
AURON MEIN KAHAN DUM THA is the story of two lovers. The year is 2001. Krishna (Shantanu Maheshwari) is an orphan who comes to Mumbai and finds accommodation in a chawl named Ekta Niwas. Here, he meets Vasudha (Saiee M Manjrekar) and both get attracted to each other. They soon get into a relationship and promise to marry each other and have a great life ahead. Sadly, a ghastly incident changes everything for them. Krishna is jailed for 25 years. When Krishna (Ajay Devgn) completes 23 years in jail in 2024, the officials decide to release him due to his good behaviour. Krishna, however, feels that he’s not ready for the outside world and requests the officials to cancel his early release. His unusual request is rejected, and Krishna is released. He plans to leave the country the same night but before that can happen, Krishna meets Vasudha (Tabu), who’s now married to Abhijeet (Jimmy Shergill). What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Movie Story Review:
Neeraj Pandey’s story is okay and should have had more meat. Neeraj Pandey’s screenplay works in some scenes but overall, it doesn’t blow viewers away, which ideally should have happened in a film like this. The dialogues have depth and a few of them are even funny. But again, in the absence of a solid script, even the dialogues don’t work as intended.

Neeraj Pandey’s direction is not up to the mark. He’s known for some memorable films like A WEDNESDAY [2008], SPECIAL 26 [2013], BABY [2015], M S DHONI: THE UNTOLD STORY [2016] and memorable web shows. As a result, one can’t help but have expectations, especially when he brings together actors like Ajay Devgn and Tabu in a serious romantic saga. And until a certain point, he does handle the film with panache and keeps viewers intrigued. The intermission point, especially, is quite arresting.

But soon, the interest drops once the viewers realize that there isn’t much of a story in the film. Also, the suspense is such that one can guess it from a mile away. A few sequences, added for the grandeur and mass appeal, are well executed when seen individually. But in the film, these sequences don’t gel well with the principal plot. For instance, the scene of Mahesh Desai’s (Sayajirao Shinde) arrest in Thailand is presented as if his character has a lot of significance. But he doesn’t have much screen time. Moreover, a certain scene from the flashback is shown thrice and during the third instance, it’ll irritate viewers as they fear that the film is getting repetitive.

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha (Official Trailer) | Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Saiee Manjrekar, Jimmy Sheirgill, Shantanu Maheshwari

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Movie Review Performances:
Ajay Devgn, however, gives his 100% to the role. He brings the required maturity and also, he makes subtle changes to his walk and posture. Hence, he seems convincing as someone who’s been released from prison after more than two decades. Tabu, as expected, is marvellous. But unfortunately, she is hardly there in the first half. Even post-interval, one wishes to see more of her. Shantanu Maheshwari and Saiee M Manjrekar have considerable screen time and they deliver as per the requirement. Shantanu is quite good in some difficult scenes while Saiee, too, performs ably. Jimmy Shergill is dependable as always. Sayajirao Shinde is hardly there. Jay Upadhyay (Jignesh) leaves a huge mark and also raises laughs. Hardik Soni (Pakya) is apt for the part. Shahrukh Sadri (Jamshet), Jiten Lalwani (Superintendent Solanki), Meherzaan Mazda (Raghuvanshi) and others do well.

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha music and other technical aspects:
M M Kreem’s music is of soulful variety but somehow, the songs don’t leave a lasting impact, be it ‘Kisi Roz’, ‘Tuu’, ‘Ae Dil Zara’, ‘Jahan Se Chale The’ and ‘Dobara Humein Kya’. ‘Tu’, however, stands out due to the picturization. M M Kreem’s background is in sync with the film’s mood and the theme of ‘Ae Dil Zara’, played throughout, is lovely.

Sudheer Palsane’s cinematography is neat. Raj VFX Pvt Ltd’s VFX is appealing. Abbas Ali Moghul’s action is not too gory. Falguni Thakore’s costumes are straight out of life. Sunil Babu and Vaishnavi Reddy’s production design is a bit theatrical. Praveen Kathikuloth’s editing is slow.

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, AURON MEIN KAHAN DUM THA is a slow and boring film that suffers due to lack of meat in the story and a predictable climax. At the box office, it will turn out to be a huge flop and emerge as one of the lowest openers of Ajay Devgn.