Others aren’t needed when you’re self-destructive – Beyond Bollywood

Predictable from the title itself, the Neeraj Pandey film fails to spark viewer interest. The laboured screenplay results in a snooze fest. Besides, Ajay Devgn and Tabu never really made a great on-screen pair.

Rating: ⭐️💫 (1.5 / 5)

By Mayur Lookhar

It’s become a norm for most films to claim they are based on or inspired by true events. Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha (2024) claims that some parts are true, quickly followed by the text, only the impossible parts.

Now that’s a googly for the viewers. The keen viewer tries to recall scenes that fit the bill. The backstory dates to 2001 when Krishna (Shantanu Maheshwari), probably in his mid-20s, is seeing Vasudha (Saiee Manjrekar), a fellow resident in a humble Mumbai South-Central chawl. As the character grows in age, Ajay Devgn now plays Krishna The seasoned actor, now 55, has the impossible task of looking 45. Come on, what’s ten years? Devgn would put most 55-year-olds to shame.

The other ‘true impossible part’ could be a convict helping a dreaded don survive an assassination attempt. There’s nothing impossible in Ajay Devgn paying tribute to Sanjay Dutt when Krishna admits to feeling like Sanju kaka when about to leave jail after 22 years. Ironically, the man seems happy with his life in jail. The question is, why did he land in jail in the first place?

Us raat kya hua tha? It’s a question lingering in the mind of Abhijeet (Jimmy Sheirgill). But he didn’t exist in Krishna’s world in 2001. Abhijeet is married to Vasudha (now played by Tabu). What happened that night? Well, that’s for the viewers to figure out themselves.

Honestly, from the moment the title and the trailer dropped two months ago, even a blind person could foresee how this Neeraj Pandey film would pan out. Despite its predictable plot, your reviewer was excited about Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha. After all, we don’t produce love stories and family dramas by the dozens anymore. Could this film satiate the appetite for eternal romantics?

Whether it did or not, this reviewer simply looked for some old-school romance and simplicity. These moments are provided in the few humble conversations between Krishna (Maheshwari) and Vasudha (Manjrekar). Ajay Devgn and Tabu’s conversations are more mature, more accepting of the present. Unfortunately, beyond the 30–40-minute screenplay, Neeraj Pandey didn’t really have a feature film. After a promising opening five minutes with action from Arthur Road jail, followed by Shantanu Maheshwari and Saiee Manjrekar’s humble romance in flashback, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha turns into a painstaking 140-minute dull drama.

Okay, jail sentences make you bump into all kinds of people, but Pandey shows a bit too much respect for the dreaded don Mahesh Desai (Sayaji Shinde). Post-interval, one is momentarily lulled into believing that we could potentially have another twist in the tale, which might add a thrilling element to this ‘unlucky-in-love’ story, but that would take away the all-important dignity in this narrative.

Make no bones about it, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha had potential, but such stories require a taut screenplay and a quality cast. Neeraj Pandey, who has been lackluster for a while, continues with his poor writing and, more worryingly, poor direction. Even in the few engaging moments, it is the quality of the cast that makes it appealing. It begs a serious question: if Pandey didn’t have a taut screenplay, was he banking on past gossip to drive interest in Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha? Alright, they are coming as an on-screen pair after a long time, but they’ve shared screen space in a few films in the last decade. Besides, they’ve never really made a great on-screen pair. Pandey has horribly overestimated the Devgn-Tabu pairing at this point in their respective careers.

The seasoned artistes try their best to infuse life into a deadwood of a screenplay. Pulling off a few action scenes at 55 might be tough, but this Krishna-avatar required the quintessential restrained Ajay Devgn. And that comes naturally to him.

The Vasudha-Krishna names are well thought out, but there is no divine union here. For Tabu, it is largely about containing her emotions and putting on a brave front. Even though they meet after ages, Vasudha does well to keep her emotions in check. Unsurprisingly, she limits her conversation with Krishna when her husband is around. The eternal romantic craves some rekindling, but Pandey and his leading characters don’t lose their pragmatism.

If there is one person who has been unlucky in love (in cinema), it is good old Jimmy Sheirgill. “Yeh kya, original bhi aap, aur duplicate bhi,” Raja Awasthi’s (Sheirgill) cries from Tanu Weds Manu franchise still echo in our ears. Enough of unrequited love—Jimmy finally has the girl. It’s a pity, though, that on the one occasion he marries the woman, there is nothing really to celebrate as Abhijeet (Sheirgill) can’t hide his insecurities. Sheirgill, however, delivers another convincing performance.

What about the film’s young leads—Shantanu Maheshwari and Saiee Manjrekar? The former is likable for his wit and chivalry, but Maheshwari falls short in intense action scenes. It’s not necessarily his frail size, but in a jail setting, he would be easy meat rather than someone to be feared, as wrongly depicted in the film.

Saiee Manjrekar is a sight to behold as the girl-next-door. She wins you over with her simplicity and innocence. Though soft-spoken, Vasudha shows maturity beyond her years when she assures Krishna that she will be strong and not let emotions interfere with Krishna or her career. After impressing us in Major (2022), Saiee Manjrekar only adds to her growing reputation with her endearing performance in Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha.

The common mood after the press show was one of bewilderment. Without revealing the predictable conflict, many are still bemused by the lack of legal foresight from Pandey and his creative team. If they had observed this, there wouldn’t be Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha. Moreover, one shouldn’t lose sight of the environment in which Krishna and Vasudha lived. The couple can’t even afford to make eye contact in their vicinity. Their few dates each week end with the guy dropping the woman off at a distance from their residence. There’s no way a young couple could go public with their relationship in such a social environment. Adding to this are the linguistic barriers and insider-outsider threat, which were part of the politics at the time, making it highly unlikely that a couple would risk their dignity, especially that of the woman.

In the ’90s, such a story would have come with a half dozen ballads, but today playback music has become secondary. Save for the Sukhwinder Singh-crooned Tuu track, the other songs fail to make an impression.

The limited scope of the story warranted a much shorter duration and, more importantly, a flawless screenplay. Pandey fails on both fronts. If there is one thing Pandey has got right, it is the film’s title, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha. Indeed, others weren’t needed when your film is self-destructive.