A Short Review Of “Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha”
Seeing Ajay Devgn and Tabu together with Neeraj Pandey as the director should have set sky-high expectations for this film. However, when you watch “Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha” in theatres, it feels like a bad, very bad film. Despite being merely mediocre, Ajay and Tabu’s acting saves the film in many places. In the backstory, Saiee Manjrekar and Shantanu Maheshwari also deliver good performances. Overall, the performances are good for the film. The making of the film is average, somewhat like a TV serial, but the camera work and music are decent. Beyond that, nothing stands out.
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The backstory, which should have been the film’s strongest point, turns out to be its weakest. Basically they just wanted to make a film like “96” with a plot twist, but the twist doesn’t work. The film feels boring and overly stretched, with a length of 2 hours and 20 minutes that could easily have been cut by 30-40 minutes. If you have trouble sleeping, this might be the perfect film for you.
From the first place, there was no hype for the film. We thought it might turn out to be extraordinary like many of Ajay Devgn’s previous films, growing through positive word of mouth, but in this case, there is absolutely no chance. Clearly, this is Neeraj Pandey’s worst film in his career.
Neeraj Pandey As a Director
We all know that Neeraj Pandey is one of India’s greatest thriller directors, consistently delivering great films like “A Wednesday,” “Special 26,” and “Baby”. As a director, romance and emotion were never his strong suits, though, which was somewhat evident in M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, despite it being a great film. After that, Aiyaary was a total mess, but he redeemed himself with the series Special OPS and Khakee: The Bihar Chapter.
Now, with Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, a romantic drama, it’s clear that this genre is not his forte. This is undoubtedly the worst film of his career. So, we are eagerly waiting for his next project, Khakee: The Bengal Chapter, and we know he will deliver another great season like the first one.
Ajay Devgn is Too much Available
Post-lockdown, Indian cinema has shifted significantly, with most Indian superstars now focusing on quality over quantity. They appear once or maximum twice a year, maintaining their larger-than-life image and keeping audiences eagerly awaiting their films.
However, some actors, seem to work more like social media influencers, appearing in 4-5 films a year, frequently on social media, and in viral videos or reels. This overexposure diminishes the excitement of seeing them in theatres.
In the past two years, Ajay Devgn has appeared in nine films, seven of which were his own and two were cameos. In 2024 alone, he has appeared in “Shaitaan,” “Maidaan,” and “Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha,” with two more films, “Singham Again” and “Raid 2,” expected later this year. Additionally, several films are in production, including “De De Pyaar De 2,” “Dhamaal 4,” “Golmaal 5,” “Son of Sardaar 2,” “Drishyam 3,” a Luv Ranjan film, and many more.
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His high frequency of appearances are getting so high that “Maidaan” was released while “Shaitaan” was still in theatres. “Shaitaan” was good but a downgraded version of the original. Films like “Maidaan” are flopping at the box office, and this trend is likely to continue with other good films.
The Akshay Kumar Effect
Currently, Akshay Kumar’s only competition in the industry is Ajay Devgn. Ajay is slowly entering the Akshay Kumar zone, where audiences start to ignore their films. Recently, Akshay Kumar’s “Sarfira” opened with just 2.5 crores on its first day, but it looks like Ajay is going to break Sarfira’s record by scoring even lower. It’s as if they are competing to see who can go even lower, and we hope they continue to set records like this in the future.