Director Abhishek Kapoor seems to have a
fine eye for launching star material actors, which is evident from his past
choices like Sushant Singh Rajput to the latest debutant Aaman Devgan, while
both have a striking resemblance in their demeanour and energy in the very
first look.
Starring Ajay Devgan, Aaman Devgan and RashaThadani, Azaad is a story of rebellion and courage, while the hero of the story
is the black stag Azaad compared with the legendary Chetak the pet horse of
Maharana Pratap which is the epitome of human-animal bonding, while both could
die for each other as per the legend.
Based on the era of rebellion and tyranny
in the 1920s, Azaad takes you on the journey of a revolutionary village boy
Govind who draws strength from a Bagi Vikram (Ajay Devgan) and falls in love
with his horse Azaad. Vikram believes in love, goodness, friendship and
breaking the shackles of social norms. He's an unsung hero of the village
tormented by the atrocities of the Zamindar Rai Bahadur (Piyush Mishra) and his
atrocious son Tej Bahadur in the British era.

Aaman Devgan shines as a poor village boy
who works at a horse stable but dreams of a majestic horse to ride. He is
teased as a stable boy by Janki (Rasha Thadani) daughter of the Zamindar. While
Govind runs for his life at one of the incidents, he meets the village rebel
Vikram Singh and decides to join his rebel group. Vikram who's the Sardar tells
him not to exploit people with your power as a Sardaar, but to be a messiah for
the poor and needy people of the village.
The plot keeps you engaged while Govind
works in the Stable, Azaad doesn’t like him which is evident from his
expressions. But, after Vikram's death,
Govind takes care and nurtures Azaad, while Azaad in turn stands with Govind in
his darkest times and runs for his new master despite being injured. The story Then
begins with Govind's quest to ride that majestic animal, which eventually takes
him on his courageous journey to free his village from the debts of the
Zamindar by winning a horse race with Azaad.

The film gives you glimpses into some
elements imbibed from films like Lagaan wherein the protagonist had to win a
sport to waver taxes for the whole village. So were the horse-riding sequences
shot in the valleys of Chambal which gives you the feel of Sholey. The film in
one of its romantic numbers takes you to the nostalgia of OP Nayyar's music
bringing back the magic of yesteryear's classics.
Overall a good start for the debutants Rasha
Tadani looks ravishing through the film, especially in the item number and the
Holi song sharing an exotic chemistry with Aaman Devgan. This family drama is
good to watch with the kids as its interesting story highlights the values of human-animal
relationships, while it's fast pacing and entertaining at the same time, as you
reach the climax.
Critics Rating
3 / 5