Ae Watan Mere Watan review: Sara Ali Khan is wasted in a shoddily written script and clumsily directed injustice to Padma Vibhushan Usha Mehta

Ae Watan Mere Watan review: Sara Ali Khan is wasted in a shoddily written script and clumsily directed injustice to Padma Vibhushan Usha Mehta

What: Ae Watan Mere Watan is an historical drama based/inspired by the life of Padma Vibhushan Usha Mehta –the Gandhian and freedom fighter of India is credited for organizing the Congress Radio, an underground radio station during the Quit India Movement in 1942.

Ae Watan Mere Watan movie review

Not an official biopic agreed but a movie inspired/based on a brave Indian woman and a pious Gandhian like Usha Mehta should have done something to inspire and enlighten us with her unique heroism and deshbhakti.

Alas, this inaccurate depiction of the saga of supreme valour of Usha Mehta played by Sara Ali Khan - a girl from Saras, a place near Surat in Gujarat sees Mahatma Gandhi at the age of five and at the age of eight participates in a protest march against the Simon Commission and later at an age of twenty-two begins the ‘Secret Congress Radio’.

Ae Watan Mere Watan directed by Kannan Iyer (the smartly crafted Ek Thi Dayan previous) who also is the writer along with Darab Farooqui indulge in a tedious effort that focuses more on the props and art direction that justifies that era but fails to make the viewer thoroughly involved.

Ae Watan Mere Watan unwantedly gets into the romance/relationship between Usha and her friend and freedom group member played by Abhay Verma. The purpose might to be to draw more tension but this populist technique to show that Sara Ali Khan has sacrificed her love for the nation failed to work for me.

I don’t know whether the character played by Abhay Verma really existed in the life of Usha Mehta and if it is a fictional character then I would have appreciated if both have taken the celibacy oath for the nation.

Honestly, in spite of Abhay Varma’s notable efforts as an actor it didn’t bothered me about the guy but raised concerns about the path the movie is following.

Sara Ali Khan deserved a much better film for her efforts, the irony is, it would have been hard for any good actress to deny playing such an inspiring woman character. However, the writers Kannan Iyer (also the director) and Darab Farooqui are guilty of limiting Ae Watan Mere Watan till the release of Usha Mehta from prison. Facts like her deteriorating health in that solitary confinement cell and the role of Morarji Desai in her release is missing.

Many facts are missing in this superficial misfire. I fail to get the perspective of Ae Watan Mere Watan – was it about Usha Mehta or the Congress Radio or how the great freedom fighter Ram Manhohar Lohia who at times drifted from ahimsa (non – violence) during 1942 Quit India movement – Karo ya Maro while nurturing Usha Mehta and the Secret Congress Radio’.

Why life of Usha Mehta after India’s Independence not shown. Am not an historian but whatever information I have collected form the internet says that Usha Mehta was not happy with the Indian state of affairs and has expressed that “this is not the freedom we fought for”

Poor Emraan Hashmi, he was good in Showtime as a showman and the same production house Dharmatic gives him the role of the legendary Ram Manohar Lohia but Dharmatic again makes a problematic content.