Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha was initially scheduled to be released on 5 July 2024, but later delayed on request of film exhibitors and film distributors.[10][11] It was eventually released theatrically on 2 August 2024 to mixed reviews from critics and became a box-office bomb, grossing only ₹12 crore in its theatrical run.[12][13][14]
Plot
The film story follows a couple whose love story spans 23 years from 2000 to 2023, delving into the emotional depth and evolving dynamics of their relationship over two decades. Krishna gets involved in multiple murders and is sentenced to life imprisonment. This leads to Vasudha getting separated from him and marrying Abhijeet. After 22 years when Krishna is released from prison after getting pardon, he yearns to meet Vasudha. It culminates in one final meeting between Krishna and Vasudha.
Box office collections were most disappointing. It was ₹1.85 crore on the opening day [August 2]. Last three days' collections were ₹2.75 crore, ₹1.00 crore and ₹0.95 crore respectively. Thus total collection for first 5 days was ₹12.00 crore, as against the film's total cost of around ₹160 crore. The film is being biggest disaster of 2024 with loss of 88-to-148 crore after Ajay Devgn's film Maidaan.[23]
Dhaval Roy of The Times Of India rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote "Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is an attempt at a mature love story that falters in execution, with its slow pace and predictable plot hindering its impact. Watch this one if you appreciate deliberate pacing and emotionally charged narratives."[26] Titas Chowdhury of New18 rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote "Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha may be a little all over the place and even lack that sparkling drive, but the quartet prevents the quivering script from completely falling apart."[27] Tanmayi Savadi of Times Now rated the film 2.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha's engaging pre-interval is marred by an exhausting second half. A few moments promise a spike in the tale but they're lost opportunities. Lacking conviction, the film's story is the biggest ‘dushman’."[28]Deepa Gahlot of Rediff.com rated 2.5/5 stars and notes "Right from the lofty title, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha keeps aiming to be an epic, and keeps falling short."[29] A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the film 2 stars out of 5 and wrote "Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is a slow and boring film that suffers due to lack of meat in the story and a predictable climax."[30]
Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost rated the film 2 stars out of 5 and wrote "It looked like Neeraj Pandey totally failed in pulling off a romantic suspense thriller which he probably tried making. The movie lacked the steam to keep the audience engaged or glued to the screen. The story lacks the required zing which is very important for today's audiences who have been exposed to not only Indian cinema, but world cinema too."[31]Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the film 2 stars out of 5 and wrote "The joy of watching seasoned warhorses Ajay Devgn and Tabu in a star-crossed romance is undercut by the movie's mothballed treatment: instead of being fresh, it feels dated, a vehicle unworthy of its star pair. Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is a clunky title for a film which should have been anything but."[32] Arushi Jain of India Today rated the film 1.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "It is boring. It is slow. It's not romantic. It's not funny. It's not sad. What is it? A 144-minute snoozefest. It does get weaker as it goes along, leading to some very predictable plot developments."[33]
Footnotes
^Although the term literally translates as "Where Was the Courage in Others", it does not reflect the true sense of the phrase. It is generally used, when one is defeated by one's own kin, say a father by his own son, a husband by his wife etc. This sense is best exposed in this Hindi couplet - हमे तो अपनों ने लूटा, गैरों में कहाँ दम था; मेरी कश्ती वहां डूबी, जहाँ पानी कम था - I was defeated by my own kin; others never could even dream of it. I conquered deep waters, but alas! sank in shallow waters. The soul of this story reflects this emotion. Significantly, the name of the film when transliterated in Hindi reads as "औरों में कहां दम था", which is a very minor modification of the original couplet "गैरों में कहाँ दम था"
