Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Review: The slow pace dampens the film

AURON MEIN KAHAN DUM THA

Writer-Director- Neeraj Pandey

Cast- Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Jimmy Sheirgill, Saiee Manjrekar, Shantanu Maheshwari

Platform of Release- Theatres

Rating: 

By Jyothi Venkatesh

The film is a 90’s style mature love story of a double murder convict released from prison after more than two decades. The truth behind his crime is revealed as he comes across his lost love. Neeraj Pandey’s Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha which unfurls in a prison, is a departure from the typical romantic fare and a slow-burn exploration of love, loss, and longing.

Krishna’s (Ajay Devgn) flashback takes us to his younger days when he is busy (Shantanu Maheshwari) romancing with the young Vasudha (Saiee Manjrekar) and how for no fault of his, he is unwittingly sent to prison for 25 years. The ensuing story of whether he is able to reunite with his old flame Vasudha (Tabu) is told with flashbacks between the past and present.

Interestingly, the film bears a slight resonance of 2023 English-Korean Drama Past Lives. It tracked the lives of two characters over a period of 24 years as they go their separate ways and reunite after years under different circumstances, only for one of them to realize that they never stopped loving the other person.

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Let me warn you well in advance that while the first half is excruciatingly slow and you will get fed up by the multiple flashbacks, because the plot plods on and on without any respite. The premise in its attempt to be intriguing, is too stretched and the first hour feels like a three hour long never ending episode’ of a daily soap.

As far as the performances are concerned, Ajay Devgn is just his quiet, brooding self, while this is cakewalk for a seasoned actor like Tabu, who does not at all seem to age even a wee bit. While Shantanu Maheshwari shows a lot of promise by getting into a heavy zone as far as emotional display is concerned, Saiee is just about okay. Jimmy Sheirgill fits the bill once again as the second choice of the girl who plays the central role.

Music by M.M. Kreem not only aids the situations but also hampers the growth of the scenes to a large extent and the film’s soundtrack is its saving grace -MM Kreem music, Manoj Muntashir’s lyrics, and Sukhwinder Singh-Javed Ali’s powerful vocals come together to create the equally catchy and poetic ‘Tuu’.

To sum up, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is a flashback to the olden golden 90’s when love reigned supreme, though ball said and done, the slows pace of the film does dampen your spirits