Film: Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Jimmy Shergill, Shantanu Maheshwari, Sai Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 1 Moon

Bollywood’s iconic pair Ajay Devgn and Tabu have reunited for their 10th film Auron Mein Kaha  Dum Tha which finally hit the theaters today on August 2, 2024, after the initial release was pushed. Directed by Nikhil Pandey, the movie is billed as an epic musical romantic drama following the story of a couple that spans 23 years. The movie brings together the powerhouses of the industry only to deliver dreadful content. 

The trailer promised love, emotions, drama, and thriller but all these elements went in vain resulting in a huge disappointment. AMKDT is extremely slow, boring, and a pure waste of talent for 2 hours and 25 mins straight. The narrative doesn’t stick to the storyline as a result leaving the audience confused with the flashback switch turning on and off frequently. Making a slow start it failed to pull the audience's attention towards the tale that turned out to be dull. Surprisingly it has repetitive scenes that are tedious, monotonous, and unrequired. Being a love thriller saga it lacks action and thrill when needed.

Auron Mein Kaha  Dum Tha follows the story of Ajay Devgn and Tabu’s characters Krishna and Vasuda dating back to 2001 and 2023. Vasuda’s past life resurfaces when Krishna is out of jail after 22 years making both realise their love never reduced. Shantanu Maheshwari who plays young Ajay is sentenced to prison for 25 years in charge of a double murder case. Cut to after 22 years the lead is levied by 2.5 years of imprisonment but he isn’t ready to come out. The movie is about the circumstances in which he got jailed and what happens when he is out and meets his love.

Beyond tolerance, the film is extremely bland being unnecessarily stretched as if forced to maintain a long runtime jumping off between flashbacks and flashbacks and present times. The leading star cast Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, and Sai Manjrekar couldn’t save the film. Ajay fails to maintain his macho action-hero character while Tabu has nothing to do other than keeping a depressed face throughout. Shantanu doesn’t match with the lead’s elder character, let down the expectations being inappropriate for the role. We can expect more from Mahesh Manjrekar’s daughter Sai. Jimmy Shergill has less screen time in the second half but his talent has also gone to waste. 

Neeraj Pandey known for action thrillers tapped on romance dramas for the first time and unfortunately, he failed to maintain his directorial power. Such a poor work was unexpected from the filmmaker who delivered critically acclaimed movies in the past. Talking about direction and cinematography, the camera panning was flawed making the viewer irritated and disconnected. On the other hand, the background music remained off track not matching the situations of the movie. 

Despite featuring heavyweights including Ajay Devgn, Tabu, director Neeraj Pandey, and Golden Globe-winning composer MM Kreem MM Keeravani the movie fails to impress. If you are looking for unique love story content then sorry Auron Mein Kaha  Dum Tha is not the right choice. In a few words, it is pathetic, horrible, and terrible. The story could have worked if crafted well, crisp, and quirky.