OTT Review: Sara Ali Khan’s Ae Watan Mere Watan – Hindi film on Prime Video

Prime Video has come up with a new film titled Ae Watan Mere Watan. The movie stars Sara Ali Khan in the lead role. Let’s see how it is.

Story:

Ae Watan Mere Watan is based on the life of Usha Mehta (played by Sara Ali Khan), an unsung hero who fought against the British forces to attain India’s independence. She was a Gandhian who started Congress Radio, an underground radio station. How Usha Mehta contributed to the Quit India Movement is what the film is about.

Plus Points:

We all know about the Quit India Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi during World War 2, but little do we know about the “Congress Radio,” which played a crucial role in disseminating Gandhi’s message to our citizens. Gandhi and all other important Congress leaders were arrested right after the movement was announced. The newspapers suppressed Gandhi’s message from reaching the people, and it was Usha Mehta who reignited the Quit India Movement through Congress Radio. She played recorded messages of prominent leaders on the radio station. Ae Watan Mere Watan brings this lesser-known chapter of the freedom struggle into the limelight and pays tribute to an unsung hero.

The movie picks up momentum with the setup of the radio station. How Usha Mehta and her friends established the radio station and the struggle they have undergone in escaping from the British radar is nicely showcased. The efforts of Britishers to take down the radio station will keep us glued to the screens.

Sara Ali Khan is pretty good, and she leads from the front in this patriotic film. She neatly exhibited the valor required for Usha Mehta’s role. Emraan Hashmi’s role was promoted as a cameo, but he played a vital role, which was well-written and performed. He lets Sara Ali Khan take the centre stage and lends solid support to her. Sparsh Shrivastav, Alexx O’Nell, and Sachin Khedkear are good in their portrayals.

Minus Points:

Though the mid-portions are fascinating, the beginning and end portions are weakly designed. The narrative unfolds at a slow pace during the initial moments. The movie starts with Britishers asking Indians to vacate a building where they suspect the radio station was hidden. Then, we get to see some tedious flashback portions, and it is only with the establishment of the radio station that the film becomes captivating.

The love track is not handled well and is also unconvincing. This aspect should have given the film emotional depth, but it didn’t happen. Thus, the love track serves as a weak link to the main plot and dilutes the overall impact. After a while, the film becomes highly predictable.

The scenes that come during the last half an hour lack vigor and are poorly staged. The required tension over the end isn’t built well, and the makers fail to devise an impactful finale. Patriotic movies like this need a powerful ending, but Ae Watan Mere Watan falls short in this regard.

Technical Aspects:

The production design by Amrita Mahal Nakai and Sabrina Singh is incredible, and the pre-Independence era was superbly showcased. The costumes are neatly designed. The background score and songs are decent. Amalendu Chaudhary nicely captured the visuals through his lens. The production values are good, but the editing leaves a lot to be desired.

Direction by Kannan Iyer is decent. The movie is good in parts, but it doesn’t offer a great experience by the time it ends. There are a few nail-biting sequences, but still, the writing team could have done a better job.

Verdict:

On the whole, Ae Watan Mere Watan sheds light on a lesser-known chapter in the Indian freedom struggle. Sara Ali Khan played Usha Mehta on screen, and the actress did a convincing job. She was nicely supported by Emraan Hashmi. Though the mid-portions are fascinating, the beginning and end portions are not presented effectively. The movie loses steam in the important final moments, and the love track is poorly written. If you are interested in learning about historical events, Ae Watan Mere Watan will end up being a passable watch.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team