Ae Watan Mere Watan, which has released today on Amazon Prime Video, presents an untold chapter of India’s freedom struggle. We have seen films on great freedom fighters and on partition but not many know about the underground radio movement. Hence, it’s fascinating to see how Usha Mehta and her associates managed to put together a radio station and how the British tried to suppress its impact. Though it’s set in 1942, some of the dialogues and moments regarding news censorship, authorities trying to curb the truth etc might remind one of the present-day happenings. However, in some places, the execution is not up to the mark. The love story is the weakest part of the film. The VFX is tacky and the production design is unsatisfactory. Sara Ali Khan does well in parts and in some scenes, her performance is not entirely convincing. Emraan Hashmi steals the show as Dr Ram Manohar Lohia. It’s difficult to imagine him as a freedom fighter but he pulls it off, and how! Sparsh Shrivastava (Fahad), recently seen in Laapataa Ladies, is too good. Abhay Verma (Kaushik) does well but is let down by the writing. Sachin Khedekar leaves a mark. Madhu Raja (Bua) is adorable while Alexx O’Nell is wonderful as the antagonist. All in all, Ae Watan Mere Watan is worth watching for the plot and Emraan Hashmi’s performance.
My rating – *** out of 5!