Ae Watan Mere Watan REVIEW: Sara Ali Khan does justice to Usha Mehta’s legacy in this true events inspired Independence struggle

Film:
Ae Watan Mere Watan

Director – Kannan Iyer

Cast – Sara Ali Khan, Sparsh Shrivastava, Anand Tiwari, Abhay Verma, Godaan Kumar, Sachin Khedekar, Alexx O’Nell, Madhu Raja, Emraan Hashmi

Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Duration – 2h 13min

Ae Watan Mere Watan Movie Review

What Works

The emotional aspect of Ae Watan Mere Watan clicks thanks to its patriotic storyline, thought-provoking dialogues, believable performances by the entire cast and editing. The film’s costumes, hair and makeup, and set design are other positives that make the Sara Ali Khan starrer a worthy watch. The characters put Gandhiji’s ‘Do or Die’ mantra into action with their performances in the film.

What Doesn’t Work

While the story does hold merit, the makers have taken certain cinematic liberties, especially with its characters and their names. A quick look into history reveals Usha Mehta was not an only child as depicted in the film but had a brother too. In fact, Manjhi: The Mountain Man director, Ketan Mehta, is one of her nephews. Over acting in certain scenes makes the film seem a little lengthy at times.

Technical Analysis

Script & Dialogues: Ae Watan Mere Watan tells an emotional story and it surely strikes a chord with its viewers. While the storyline doesn’t have any jumps in its timeline (aside from Sara Ali Khan’s looking back at emotional memories when she makes life-changing decisions), some characters are left mid-way and will make you wonder what fate they suffered. Aside from writing the screenplay, Darab Farooqui has also penned the film’s thought-provoking dialogues. While some of them will touch your core and rekindle the patriotic flame within you, some are filled with too many emotions that will remind you of the lines you hear in a saas-bahu drama. 

Direction & Editing: Kannan Iyer returns to the directorial chair with Ae Watan Mere Watan after over a decade (he last directed Ek Thi Daayan in 2013). Though nothing outstanding can be said about his work behind the camera, he deserves a mention for being able to capture the raw emotions and turmoil prevalent during the Quit India movement in 1942.  Sangeeth Varghese has managed to keep the editing of the Sara Ali Khan starrer crisp despite its over 2-hour-long runtime.

Cinematography: Kudos to the set designers Amrita Mahal Nakai and Sabrina Singh for capturing the essence of 1940s Bombay by recreating the tar roads, trams, localities and buildings of the bygone era perfectly. The cinematography done by Amalendu Chaudhary aesthetically captures the old charm – both good and bad, that if paid close attention to, can transport you back in time. 

Costume Design: The costume designer, Ratna Dhanda, deserves a round of applause for staying true to the era by incorporating simple cotton ensembles for all characters. The use of print-free, muted colours and fabrics stitched together in non-complex patterns is something we have heard our grandparents talk about when they recall fashion during their childhood.

Hair & Makeup: While it may look like the make-up and hair department had nothing much to do in the film given the period, Serina Tixeria (Blending Edges) deserve a mention too. The ability to give a no-makeup look with the use of makeup as filming takes place in front of bright light is no easy feat. The plaited hairstyle of women as well as the sleek combed hairdos and mustaches of the men are apt of 1940s India.

Music

The music of Ae Watan Mere Watan does help in invoking patriotic feelings in its viewers. The lyrics penned by Darab Farooqui, Prashant Ingole, Ravi Girri and Rohan Deshmukh for tracks like Qatar Qatra, Ae Watan Mere Watan and Dua E Azaadi beautifully encapsulate the feelings of the characters. The music created by Mukund Suryawanshi, Akashdeep Sengupta and Shashi Suman coupled with the lyrics, will give you goosebumps.

Star Performances

Sara Ali Khan as Usha Mehta delivers a believable performance and it’s all thanks to her nailing the mannerism of Ushaji. Despite that, there are certain moments Sara goes overboard which will make you wish the director asked for another take or the editor could tactfully cut it into something crisper.

Emraan Hashmi, though he only has a cameo appearance as freedom fighter Ram Manohar Lohia, leaves an impactful impression on all. Sparsh Shrivastava’s performance as Fahad beautifully captures the sentiments of the freedom fighters, who despite their shortcomings were willing to give their all to see India free from the British. Alexx O’Nell as John Lyre aces his role as the overly strict British officer set on capturing and torturing all revolting the government.

Madhu Raja as Bua, Abhay Verma as Kaushik – Usha Mehta’s love interest, Godaan Kumar as Balbir, Sachin Khedekar as Ushaji’s father and Anand Tiwari as the engineer who helps them build their radio station all deliver performances that don’t leave you wanting more.

Conclusion

If you are a lover of patriotic films, Ae Watan Mere Watan is a must-watch. The dialogues and storytelling style coupled with believable performances by all, especially Sara Ali Khan, Emraan Hashmi, Sparsh Shrivastava and Sachin Khedekar, as well as the use of patriotic songs during high-intense scenes, will surely leave you with goosebumps.

Watch the trailer of Ae Watan Mere Watan

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