Azaad movie review: Nothing worthy of criticism, hardly much to appreciate

Azaad

Film: Azaad
U/A: Action, drama
Dir: Abhishek Kapoor
Cast: Rasha Thadani, Aaman Devgan, Ajay Devgn, Diana Penty

If there's one thing that gets reiterated while watching Azaad, it's that an Abhishek Kapoor-directorial guarantees an assured debut turn(s). With Azaad, enter Rasha Thadani and Aaman Devgan into the world of movies. And they made sure it's not in vain. But what makes Azaad different from Kapoor's other works like Rock On!! (2008), Kai Po Che! (2013), and Kedarnath (2018), is that its only takeaway is the lead pair. Azaad, a period actioner, also starring Aaman's uncle Ajay Devgn and Diana Penty, works only as a showreel for the potential that the two newcomers hold.

It's not just the story of rebellion in the pre-Independent India that feels dated, but the treatment also makes it look a decade too old. It's not that the tale of an unlikely relationship between a young boy and a horse (Azaad), who listens to no one but his sardar (Ajay) didn't have scope for emotions, but the screenplay by Ritesh Shah, Suresh Nair and Kapoor felt too dry to make one care for it. Kapoor, who has shown tremendous command over drama in his past directorials, surprisingly failed to bring that flair in his gaze here, with an exception of a scene or two. In fact, throughout the two-and-a-half hours of the film, it felt that the director was detached from the world he created.

There's nothing in Azaad that feels worthy of criticism. At the same time, there's hardly much to appreciate. Except of course the lead cast. After a long time, one found joy watching a new actor be raw, vulnerable, fumble yet show immense potential. Aaman flows as a performer, with some rough edges. With Rasha, however, the nerves of facing the camera are quite apparent. The scene stealer, though, remained Azaad. With the film, Kapoor's stature as a nurturer of new talent has gone beyond just human beings.

'YUCK ''WHATEVER '''GOOD ''''SUPER '''''AWESOME