The Rashomon Effect And Devotion of Suspect Both Wasted For An Outdated Romance

★★★★★

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Review: One of the most talented directors in Bollywood, Mr. Neeraj Pandey, is back with a theatrical release, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, starring Ajay Devgn and Tabu in the lead roles. Pandey is known for his classic thrillers like A Wednesday, Special 26, and Baby. Actually, if we are not going back to the Vijay Anand and Shakti Samantha eras, then I believe Pandey is the best director from the modern era and most probably the only one who got “thrillers” right. Why did he ever go out of his forte? Why did he ever think of making Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha? Why did even Ajay Devgn think of being part of it? As Neeraj has been saying from the start, there is a twist in the climax, and as a fan of his thrillers, I was also curious about it. Frankly, there was no such “twist.” You can easily find that twist in Devotion of Suspect X, and those who are aware of the “Rashomon effect” can easily notice those different layers of story telling about the same event. What’s new in AMKDT, then? Nothing. And for that it had to be so dated and boring that you couldn’t even sit for two and a half hours? A complete waste of time, money, and talent.

Krishna (Shantanu Maheshwari) and Vasudha (Saie Manjrekar) are in love, but their happy love story is destroyed on one black night. Krishna (Ajay Devgn) commits a couple of murders and is sentenced to life imprisonment. Vasudha gets married to Abhijeet (Jimmy Shergill). After 22 years, Krishna is released from prison, and he doesn’t want Vasudha (Tabu) to see him. Yet, Vasudha comes to see him. What happened that night? Why did Krishna go to jail? Can Vasudha live with the secret? The film chronicles this disturbing romance over the course of 22 years.

Neeraj Pandey should have written this film in the 1980s, and then it might have worked for the heartbroken fellas. Today’s social media-driven nibba nibbis, who are more interested in one-night stands and multiple sexual encounters before marriage, wouldn’t understand that “Pure Love” and “Sacrifice” Neeraj wanted to transcribe. Like I said, there is a twist in the climax, but it won’t work, and there is a lot of pain in the climax, but it’s not for Gen-Z. The people above 40 who might have experienced such sacrifices and love stories back in time might like it. But somehow, AMKDT is outdated, even for them. The screenplay, the pace, and the presentation just don’t keep up with the momentum. You just don’t want to get involved in it.

Speaking of performances, Ajay Devgn as Krishna is intense, and that’s sort of like a daily set visit for him. He has done many intense roles, so this was nothing for his standards. Tabu also has many such roles and is much better too, so Vasudha isn’t what you expect from such a talented actress in 2024. Shantanu Maheshwari was decent, and Jimmy Shergill has done well in his small role. Having such an understanding husband is really surprising in today’s time, and maybe that’s why I liked his character. Sayaji Shinde, Jay Upadhyay, Hardik Soni, and the rest of the supporting cast have done pretty well with whatever roles they have in their pockets.

MM Keeravani has given fine music considering the romantic appeal of the period the love story is set in. The melody has to be like that if you are thinking of a love story taking place 22 years before, but what about the modern-day timeline? Does it suit you there? I’d say no. The lyrics are beautiful, so thank you, Manoj Muntashir. Sudheer Palsane‘s cinematography has a few good frames, rest; nothing special. The film runs for 145 minutes, and the audience would definitely like to ask Praveen Kathikuloth why he edited the film so badly. If it could have been wrapped within two hours, then why add half an hour of more boredom? The last, but not least, is Neeraj Pandey and his direction. I never thought that he could be so bad and outdated. Trying to bring the Rashomon effect can’t be so disgraceful. Repeating the same frames again needs to add to curiosity, not to tedium. Aiyaari was a mistake, and I was ready to forget it if Neeraj was ready to give me something like A Wednesday, Special 26, and Baby again. Sadly, he ended up making an even worse film than Aiyaari. That’s totally unexpected and shocking. Thankfully, most of the audience will stay away from this unexpected and shocking disaster. It’s good for them, and good for Pandey as well.