'Auron Mein...' review: Bland film is a lesson in boredom
You may have seen films that lull you to sleep, films that drive a stake through logic's heart, and films where nothing adds up. But, have you watched something that ignites droopiness and boredom from the very first frame? Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is exactly that. With an antiquated plot that's 20 years too late, it's a surprise it left the writers' room.
A story you have seen plenty of times earlier
Set both in the early 2000s and present-day, AMKDT traces the story of star-crossed lovers Vasudha (Tabu, older version; Saiee Manjrekar, younger version) and Krishna (Ajay Devgn, older version; Shantanu Maheshwari, younger version). They have their eyes set on their shared future, until one day, when Krishna commits a double-murder. He's finally released from prison after two decades—will their love find a second chance?
I kept wondering why would Devgn choose this
From early-on, it's apparent that AMKDT is a run-of-the-mill film, which is surprising since it's headlined by an A-lister like Devgn, known for choosing good scripts. While the production value is rich and the shots look beautiful, nothing—absolutely nothing—can compensate for the lack of a good story and cohesiveness. Cameras keep rolling, dialogues flow, and scenes never know when to call it a day.
Devgn gets the most screentime, but does that even help?
Neeraj Pandey's camera is obsessed with Devgn, so he gets the most screentime, and there are scenes after scenes that add zilch to the storyline. "Why is this here? What does it add to the plot?" I asked myself repeatedly. There's no memorable supporting character, there's hardly anyone in the background, and, Tabu has nothing more than an extended cameo in her own film.
A lost cause with next to no redeeming factors
The movie revels in its own melancholy, and while it suits the characters sometimes, it also brings the film several notches down. The movie, its characters, its actors...make an effort to keep dragging, even when they seemingly don't want to! Eventually, AMKDT didn't leave me frustrated, but cheated, because A-list stars shouldn't be starring in projects you can't wait to wipe from your memory.
We don't ever feel for any of the characters
Pandey wants us to root for Vasudha and Krishna because they were torn apart due to a tragic turn of fate, but their story is extremely middling, predictable, lukewarm, and done to death. Even if you're swept away by Maheshwari's charm, your heart can't beat for his character. The movie is packaged in sermons and everyone's characterization is equally enervated.
Over-the-top characterizations make everything extremely artificial
Each time Krishna meets someone or visits a new place, expect time to freeze and background music to reach the skies so that we can focus on our larger-than-life hero. This is atrocious because we never exactly know how Krishna goes from a hardware engineer to a hardcore killer. Nearly everything about the movie looks unbelievable, and not in a good way!
Maheshwari tries to salvage this sinking ship
Manjrekar is shaky and inconsistent when asked to hold her own against a committed Maheshwari (perhaps the only saving grace); the storyline is exactly like that of a (below-average) TV serial; the tonal shifts in Krishna's story are ludicrous; and the film is stretched so thin you could poke a finger through it. Worse, its mouthful title does it no favors.
For a 'romantic musical,' its tracks are largely forgettable
MM Kreem's background score reaches such high decibels that there's no escaping it. This is a recurring problem with Hindi films, more so with AMKDT—when the scenes are ready to give away, you cannot provide sturdy support through music. Through the BGM, it tries to establish its "thrill" aspect, which is so laughable that you can see it from miles away.
Not worth watching even on OTT; 1.5/5 stars
The film can't shake the whiff of an '80s film or an exaggerated serial, so in the end, almost nothing about it is worth watching. Not its lack of marketing or its clash with Janhvi Kapoor's Ulajh, the romantic-thriller's biggest nemesis is its shockingly baffling, expired, tediously monotonous writing. Eventually, the film is its own undoing, because, after all, auron mein kahan dum tha?
