Star Cast: Ajay Devgn, Aaman Devgan, Rasha Thadani, Diana Penty
Director: Abhishek Kapoor
Azaad Movie Review Synopsis:
AZAAD is the story of a young man and a horse. The year is 1920. Govind (Aaman Devgan) lives with his father Braj (Sandeep Shikhar), sister Daani (Jiya Amin), and nani (Natasha Rastogi) in the village of Bhusar in Central Province. Braj works at the stable of the village chieftain Rai Bahadur (Piyush Mishra). He has a son Tej Bahadur (Mohit Malik) and a daughter Janaki (Rasha Thadani). Tej Bahadur, like the father, is evil while Janaki has a sensitive side. One day, Govind accidentally rides the horse of Rai Bahadur while Janaki is doing horse riding in the royal stable. Govind is whipped for his mistake. Govind assumes that Janaki complained about him and despises him. Janaki doesn’t celebrate Holi and no one in the village has the guts to apply colour on her. Govind, however, splashes colour on her face. Realizing that Rai Bahadur and Tej Bahadur might kill him, Govind runs away. In the jungles, he comes across a royal, beautiful horse. Govind immediately gets mesmerized. Soon, he realises that the horse’s name is Azaad and he belongs to Vikram Singh (Ajay Devgn), a dreaded dacoit. Vikram’s army captures Govind, assuming that he’s a cop or a spy. But they let him off when they realize that Govind is not harmful. Vikram gets fond of Govind and he also becomes a part of his army. However, Azaad has no such fondness for Govind. Meanwhile, Vikram’s former partner Kesar (Diana Penty) is now the wife of Tej Bahadur. Tej, along with the British, wants to finish Vikram and they can go to any lengths for it. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Azaad Movie Story Review:
Ritesh Shah, Suresh Nair and Abhishek Kapoor’s story has all the trappings of a mass entertainer. Ritesh Shah and Suresh Nair’s screenplay (additional screenplay by Chandan Arora) has its share of riveting and clap-worthy moments but leaves a lot to be desired. Ritesh Shah’s dialogues (additional dialogues by Chandan Arora) are memorable.
Abhishek Kapoor’s direction is average. On the positive side, he keeps the narrative uncomplicated. The horse and dacoit aspect gives a pleasant déjà vu of the films of the 70s and 80s. Also, one roots for the hero as the villains are shown to be very evil. A few scenes are memorable like Govind meeting Vikram for the first time, Azaad drinking alcohol, Govind sneaking into Janaki’s room, Govind trying to befriend Azaad, etc. The finale is engaging.
On the flipside, the first half might make viewers a bit restless. It’s only in the second half that the film becomes worth it to some extent during the climax. The character of Janaki gets a raw deal. The same goes for Kesar. In fact, except for Govind, Vikram Singh and the horse, the other characters are not given prominence. The love story is never established properly and this goes against the film heavily as one would definitely expect romance between the newcomers. The climax is a bit abrupt; ideally, there should have been a scene about what happened to the characters later on to sum up the tale. Moreover, the protagonist resorting to unethical means in the end might not be acceptable to a section of the audience.
Azaad Official Trailer | Ajay Devgn | Aaman Devgan | Rasha Thadani
Azaad Movie Review Performances:
Aaman Devgan makes a confident debut and it’s clear that he has worked hard. He looks convincing while riding the horse and his dance in the Holi song is mesmerizing. Rasha Thadani commands attention with her captivating screen presence and displays immense potential. Unfortunately, her screen time in the first half is quite limited. Ajay Devgn has a supporting role and as always, he’s too good. Diana Penty is sincere but her character lacks meat. Mohit Malik does fine in his debut role. Piyush Mishra is fair. Sandeep Shikhar, Jiya Amin, Natasha Rastogi, Andrew Crouch (James Cummings), Dylan Jones (Lord Cummings), Rakesh Sharma (Jamal), Akshay Anand (Biru) and Neeraj Kadela (Mute Priest) are decent.
Azaad movie music and other technical aspects:
Amit Trivedi’s music doesn’t have the desired effect. ‘Uyi Amma’ is the only song that is memorable. ‘Birangay’ works due to the choreography. ‘Aazaad Hai Tu’ and ‘Azaad Hai Tu (Reprise)’ are forgettable. ‘Ajeeb-O-Gareeb’ has a vintage feel.
Hitesh Sonik’s background score has a cinematic feel. Setu’s cinematography is satisfactory and it’s very good in the race sequence in the climax. Akshay Tyagi and Jade By Monica and Karishma’s costumes are stylish and yet, in sync with the era. Saini S Johray’s production design is authentic. Ian Van Temperly and Aejaz Gulab’s action is not too gory. NY VFXWaala’s VFX is impressive but gets tacky in the hyena scene. Chandan Arora’s editing is functional.
Azaad Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, AZAAD struggles to captivate due to a lacklustre first half, a weak script, and the absence of a romantic angle. At the box office, the limited buzz around the film will pose challenges, though the Cinema Lovers Day offer might provide some relief to an extent on Day 1.