High on horsepower, low on creativity – Beyond Bollywood

Ajay Devgn’s presence fails to elevate a banal story and screenplay; debutants Aaman Devgan and Rasha Thadani underwhelm, while director Abhishek Kapoor emerges as the biggest loser.

Rating: ⭐️💫 (1.5 / 5)

By Mayur Lookhar

How to get over a prolonged bad phase? Many times, people overcomplicate things, often forgetting that the simple solution lies in getting back to basics. Perhaps Hindi cinema, too, needs to do the same to stem the rot. Western influences, Southern remakes—you’ve tried it all, but the result is there for all to see. How about going back to the stories that have stood the test of time? At least, this reviewer wouldn’t complain.

Desi Westerns were in vogue in the 60s and 70s. A long history of dacoity left its imprints, especially in Uttar Pradesh and other central Indian states. Social, caste, and class divides also drove many down this path. Cinematically, these dacoits were often portrayed as self-styled baaghis (rebels). While dacoity is no longer rampant, this reviewer was excited about such a tale in 2025. Surprisingly, it is Abhishek Kapoor who seeks to revive the desi Western genre with his film Azaad. The rebels are present, but he adds a near-fable touch to the narrative by having a horse as the protagonist. In the Indian context, the most celebrated equine is Maharana Pratap’s Chetak. From an early age, Govind’s nanny tells him stories of Chetak. The lullaby sessions end with the boy asking his nanny whether it is impossible to find such a warrior horse. The nanny assures her grandchild that destiny will bring his horse to him. This opening scene, depicted through a comic strip featuring the ancient king and his stallion, holds promise for a heroic tale with the equine at its center.

Set in 1920, British India, the humble folks are enslaved not only by the British but also oppressed by the evil zamindar Rai Bahadur (Piyush Mishra). Govind (Aaman Devgan) and his father work in Rai Bahadur’s stable. Punished for daring to sit on a horse, Govind dreams of freedom from this servitude. Destiny brings him into contact with baaghi Vikram Singh (Ajay Devgn), and the rest, as they say, is history.  Add to it a bittersweet friendship between Rai Bahadur’s daughter Janaki (Rasha Thadani) and Govind, and Abhishek Kapoor had all the ingredients of a desi western.

This is a story that Kapoor has had with him for ten years. After such a long period, and perhaps many drafts later, he doles out a rather shockingly dull film. The intensity fades just as Ajay Devgn’s Vikram Singh leaves the screenplay. It’s more than a special cameo, and truth be told, Devgn alone does justice to his character. The lack of genuine talent aside, Kapoor errs by stretching the painstaking Govind-Azaad bromance. Hey, what happened to freedom from slavery? By the time it returns to its core story, most viewers are bored to death. The predictable plot of waging your lands, freedom over a contest is an overdone trope. It begs the question: what novel idea has Abhishek Kapoor brought to the table? If this is how the story panned out after 10 years, then it’s no surprise that producers rejected this silly tale over the last decade. Well, this misfortune had to befall Ronnie Screvwala, who over the years has had a bouquet of blunders.

At the trailer launch, Abhishek Kapoor categorically stated that he didn’t make this film to launch anyone (star kids) but that characters pick their actors. By that logic, is one to assume that this bad, shambolic script picked Aaman Devgan and Rasha Thadani? Ajay Devgn and Raveena Tandon made their debut together with the hit Phool Aur Kaante (1991). It surely can’t be a mere coincidence that, years later, Devgn’s nephew and Raveena’s daughter make their debut together with Azaad. Aaman shows some promise early on but then orbits into mediocre territory. Be it screen presence or acting, Rasha Thadani comes a cropper on all fronts. Looking at her, she partly rekindles memories of watching a young Nargis Fakhri in Rockstar (2011). Janaki doesn’t have the English accent, but she is compelled to speak in the colonizer’s language as Rai Bahadur has pledged to Lord Cummings that his daughter will marry his son James.

Here is a film where a couple of foreign artistes are trying to speak in a desi tone, while the desi characters are horrendously trying to ape the Britishers. Then there’s Diana Penty trying hard to speak in a Chambal tone. Watching most of these actors, you get a sense that these privileged lot from Bandra-Juhu have merely donned traditional attires but lack the soul to play these rooted characters. Now we know the true meaning of Anurag Kashyap’s Bandra-Juhu jibe.

TV heartthrob Mohit Malik wasn’t sure about whether he should do this film. Perhaps, he gauged its quality, or rather the lack of it, at the script stage. Turning down an Abhishek Kapoor film, especially one meant to launch Ajay Devgn’s nephew, Raveena Tandon’s daughter, was not an option. Malik is fairly competent as Rai Bahadur’s son, Tej. Let’s hope he doesn’t become a scapegoat here. There is no such worry for the adorable equine Azaad. The humans were fine, but Kapoor also gets the horse to do melodrama.

Amit Trivedi has produced some good music for Abhishek Kapoor in Kai Po Ch (2013), Fitoor (2016), and Kedarnath (2018). Azaad is by far their worst effort. Also, while Trivedi is a good musician, as a singer, he’s not as enjoyable anymore. The final scenes of speedy horses always make for great viewing, but the equines can’t undo the shallow efforts of the humans. Abhishek Kapoor’s Azaad has plenty of horsepower, but it’s low on creativity.