Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha Movie Review: Love stories at the box office are always welcome, especially at a time when political thrillers, chest-thumping patriotic dramas, and action films seem to dominate. And if these love stories trace the lives of people in their fifties, then there’s nothing like it. What further becomes the cherry on the cake is when you have age-appropriate casting. Such a breath of fresh air, right? Neeraj Pandey attempted to make the most decadent cake with the sweetest and juiciest cherry with Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, but what we end up eating are slices of jam-filled bread piled together to resemble a cake.
The film begins with a sepia-tinted frame featuring younger Krishna and Vasudha sitting on the rocks facing the majestic Arabian Sea and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Don’t forget that this is 2001 when the famous bridge was still under construction and so, it’s partially broken in between. This gap in the sea link is symbolic of their love story that remains unfinished. Vasudha, too naïve for the real world, tells Krishna, “Pakka na? Koi humko alag toh nahi karega na?” To this, he responds with the same innocence, “Hum check kiye the, abhi tak koi paida nahi hua hai.” And it is this irony that becomes the crux of the narrative.
To give you the background, the young lovers reside in a chawl in Mumbai and fall in love with each other. Their romance is traced through several festivals like Janmashtami, Diwali, and Holi. But their lives turn upside down the night Krishna confesses to Vasudha that he needs to fly to Bangalore for training and then to Germany where he needs to work for two whole years. Years later, we’re introduced to older Krishna, who was incarcerated 23 years back for committing two murders and was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment.
For his good behavior, however, his term gets reduced by two-and-a-half years. Most of the film plays out on the day he leaves captivity. Vasudha, on the other hand, now runs her own handloom and handicraft business and is married to Abhijeet (played by Jimmy Sheirgill). Will Krishna meet Vasudha? If they do, will she leave her husband for her former lover? What led Krishna and Vasudha to part ways? And what role does Abhijeet play in his wife’s dynamic with her lover who she was supposed to marry? The film tries to address these questions, but you may not find all the answers.
To start with, there’s no solid reason as to why Abhijeet’s curiosity in meeting Krishna gets piqued so much that he becomes such an integral part of the narrative. Don’t misunderstand us. Neeraj definitely dishes out a reason, but it hardly feels credible. Abhijeet’s constant tussle between being a secure human being and an insecure husband is valid on the surface level, but unfortunately, it will leave you perplexed. To top that, Vasudha’s feelings for him aren’t properly baked either.
The jarring background music doesn’t help. No disrespect to Oscar-winning music composer MM Kreem here. He has belted out chartbuster Hindi film albums with Sur and Zakhm, but in this case, where Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha was billed as a musical, the music doesn’t really soar or stay with you. It doesn’t amp up the emotional quotient of the film at all. And speaking of emotions and drama, this film has loads of the latter. Sometimes, it may remind you of a Hindi television series from the 2000s. But that’s not its weakest link, as this element of nostalgia strikes a chord once in a while.
There are so many romantic and emotional scenes in Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha featuring powerhouse performers Ajay Devgn and Tabu that could have elevated the middling screenplay, but sadly, they fall flat. The sequence where they meet each other in their old chawl after decades bore so much potential. But it ends up being a lackluster episode. The lazy and uninspiring writing is to blame here.
In another scene, older Krishna and Vasudha go back to their favorite spot in the city by the sea and talk to each other for the first time after his release from prison. While Krishna tries not to look back at their tragic past, Vasudha is unable to let go of the same. Despite bursting with an impending explosion and a messy exchange, it fizzles out like a damp firecracker.
Having said that, credit lies where it’s due. It’s only in the very last sequence in Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha—the one that finally sees the star-crossed lovers opening up to each other for the first time and baring their souls laced with vulnerabilities, inhibitions, and agonies—that everything the film stands for comes together. Ajay and Tabu’s conversations about love and the lack of it, and years and years of longing and yearning, will move you to tears. They do a lot of talking which definitely touches your heart, but it’s largely their smoldering, eloquent eyes that do the trick. What beautiful chemistry! But unfortunately, it’s too late by then.
At 145 minutes, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha seems like an extremely stretched-out affair. The first half is particularly slow and will constantly test your patience. Krishna’s scenes in jail, which give a sneak peek into the rigmarole of his captive life, could have been easily condensed. The choppy editing reaches its peak when the film ends abruptly. You’ll keep waiting for a post-credit scene, but that never comes. Yes, there’s beauty in unfinished tales too, but this ending is way too jarring to be true.
Coming to its biggest highlight and surprise, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha gets somewhat saved because of the younger versions of Krishna and Vasudha and their innocent and heartwarming love story. They’re stupendously essayed by Shantanu Maheshwari and Saiee M Manjrekar, and the flashback scenes featuring them are the film’s strongest suit. The film rests on their able shoulders, and the earnestness, fragility, and vulnerability they bring to the table will leave you feeling fuzzy and smiling with moist eyes.
The heart-wrenching jail scene between them may even remind you of Sapta Saagaradaache Ello: Side A. But don’t get your hopes high because Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha can’t boast of the intricate nuances and complexities of the Rakshit Shetty and Rukmini Vasanth starrer. Having said that, if Ajay and Tabu form the stunning skyscraper, Shantanu and Saiee—whose chemistry feels so organic—form the solid foundation.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha may be a little all over the place and even lack that sparkling drive, but the quartet prevents the quivering script from completely falling apart. With their collective prowess and performances, they make sure that they help the film reach its goal—a goal that Neeraj describes as “Sometimes, it never ends…” Much like love, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha isn’t perfect. Sometimes, it flies, and sometimes, it falls. Sometimes, it’s chaotic, and sometimes, it’s collected. Sometimes, it’s all heart, and sometimes, it strives to find one. Give it a chance only for its actors.
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