Film: Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
U/A: Romance, drama
Dir: Neeraj Pandey
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu
Rating: **1/2

In the 16 years since his directorial debut, A Wednesday (2008), Neeraj Pandey has become synonymous with thrillers, owing to hits like Special 26 (2013) and Baby (2015) on the big screen and spy franchise Special Ops on OTT. If MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), the biographical sports drama on former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, was an exception, his latest, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha (AMKDT), is the filmmaker’s attempt at treading off his beaten path. The romance drama narrates the story of star-crossed lovers, Krishna and Vasudha, in two different timelines. 

The movie begins in 2001, with a young Krishna (Shantanu Maheshwari) and Vasudha (Saiee Manjrekar) making plans for their future together, while the Bandra-Worli Sea Link is being constructed in the backdrop. Cut to Arthur Road jail in the present, where Krishna’s (Ajay Devgn) name is feared and respected. We learnt that he is serving 25 years for double murder, and there is no one waiting for him. Set to be released owing to good conduct, he makes one last effort to delay the inevitable, but it still doesn’t alter his release date.