Ahead of the Republic Day celebrations, Prime Video unveiled the first look of the Sara Ali Khan-starrer period thriller Ae Watan Mere Watan. The film, which stars Sara as a revolutionary in British India, has begun filming now. The first looks gives a brief look at Sara’s character, who appears to be a radio operator fanning the fires of the revolution while evading the colonial powers.
The video opens with a female character entering a room and plugging in an old-timey wireless radio set. As tense music plays, we get a glimpse at the face of the heroine, Sara Ali Khan. A title card informs that the film is ‘inspired by true events’. As Sara’s character sets up the radio, to begin her broadcast, text on the screen informs us the film is set in Bombay, 1942.
We then get a good look at Sara speaking, “The British think they have destroyed the Quit India movement. But they can’t imprison free voices. This is India’s voice, from somewhere in India.” The moment she finishes we hear banging on the door of the room and a worried-looking Sara looks over.
A Dharmatic Entertainment Production, the movie is being produced by Karan Johar and Apoorva Mehta, with Somen Mishra serving as the co-producer. Directed by Kannan Iyer and written jointly by Darab Farooqui and Kannan Iyer, the film is a thriller-drama inspired by true events and will see Sara Ali Khan play the character of a valiant freedom fighter.
As per the film’s synopsis, “Ae Watan Mere Watan follows the intrepid journey of a college girl in Bombay who goes on to become a freedom fighter. This fictional tale is set against the backdrop of Quit India Movement in 1942. It is a story about the courage, patriotism, sacrifice and resourcefulness of the youth of the nation.”
Talking about her role ijn the film, Sara Ali Khan said in a statement, “As an actor, and more importantly as an Indian I am proud to be able to portray a character that echoes bravery, strength and courage. Working with Kannan Iyer sir is a sheer privilege as he is so passionate and emotionally invested in this story himself. And while of course it is very challenging to essay a character that is vastly different from anything that I’ve done before, it is a project I’m going to work really hard on. And most importantly, I’m going to cherish every day that I get to play an enigmatic freedom fighter.”
The film will stream on Prime Video internationally but no release date has been announced as of yet.
