Azaad review: Boredom screams louder than the horse's neigh in Rasha-Amaan's film

Azaad movie review: In Azaad, Rasha Thadani and Amaan Devgan look promising with their debut performance, but that's not enough. This Abhishek Kapoor film looks extremely one-toned, and relies heavily on anthropomorphism.

In Short

• Bollywood revisits human-animal bond with Azaad
• The film focusses on rebellion and a man's bond with his horse
• Its first-half feels scattered, but the film gains coherence in the second-half

Not much is written or shown about the human-animal relationship in India. While Bollywood has tried to work on the subject, it has rolled out only a few successful films, including Teri Meherbaniyan (1985), starring Jackie Shroff, and Haathi Mere Saathi (1975), starring Rajesh Khanna. In 2025, Bollywood tries to go back to the genre with Azaad, a film about a man's relationship with his horse.

Acting as a launchpad for Amaan Devgan, nephew of actor Ajay Devgn, and Rasha Thadani, daughter of actor Raveena Tandon, Azaad focusses fully on the human-animal dynamic. The film is directed by Abhishek Kapoor, whose command over portrayal of emotions on screen is fantastic. Case in point Rock On! (2008) and Kedarnath (2018). But, is Azaad an entertaining film? Does it warrant a big screen experience? And the question that everybody is asking: Do Rasha and Amaan end up justifying their privileged casting?

First things first, Azaad is neither about Amaan nor Rasha. It, quite bravely and rightly, is a film about the gorgeous black beast - the horse - who also inspires the title of the film. Set in the pre-independence era, the film explores the time when Indians had just begun to nourish the spirit of rebellion against the Britishers. The landlords had turned into British stooges and to rebel was the only way out.

In Azaad, Amaan's Govind, a rookie rebel, falls in love with Rasha's Janaki, a rebel in her own sense who likes to acquaint herself with British hobbies but doesn't mince her words when she sees injustice or discrimination against women. But, the real love story is between Govind and Azaad, who's passed on to him after a twisted incident.

The first half of the film tests your patience, and feels scattered all over the place. Rebels are fighting, a love story is running in the background, a horse is showing tantrums, and landlords are oppressing villagers. Rasha gets only three scenes, while Amaan appears like a confused kid in a candy store, too happy to act. It's in the second half that things seem to fall in place.

Ajay's performance in the film as rebel Vikram Singh is sincere and exact. He is a seasoned enough actor to know when to mix his intensity with a bit of leniency. He is joined by Diana Penty, looking as pretty as the first drop of dew on flower petals. While none of them get a lot of screen-space, they add both the required edge and delicacy to the story.

For Amaan and Rasha, Azaad happens to be a decent launchpad when it could have been way better. The film relies a lot on anthropomorphism to deliver its best moments. There's a horse which grunts, flirts, chases, mourns, and holds himself with a lot of pride. What all he can do is a surprise, really. The tall, dark and handsome creature is always the most attractive figure, besotting everyone he passes by. However, that doesn't seem enough for the film.

While the horse keeps you entertained, the film doesn't stand tall entirely on its own. It doesn't appear like a cohesive mix of drama and romance to keep you engaged. Something always remains amiss. At its best, it looks like a concoction of Lagaan's spirit and the mood of all the animal-oriented movies we have seen in the past. A concoction which is edible but tasteless.

Here's the trailer of Azaad:

Both Rasha and Amaan emote well, look sincere and appropriately trained. Their stance is promising and diction quite better than other star kids who have already worked in over 10 films. However, they seem to lose themselves to the conventional elements of the 'first film'.

Rasha's dance number, Uyi Amma, is not just out of place, but is as bad for the film as gale winds for a sinking ship. This is not to say that she falters here. Rasha is beautiful, but to use her as an object to please the male gaze is so in your face that you never forgive the camera lens.

To his credit, Amaan doesn't emulate his star uncle. He is well contained even in the action scenes and doesn't try to dominate the screen with I-am-the-hero-of-this-film charm. The best part about Azaad is that everyone knows who is the real hero here. And the worst part is that the story relies only on that.

The climax of the film is trippy and gets over in a snap. The other actors in the film - Piyush Mishra as the cruel zamindaar, and Mohit Malik as an even more cruel, whip-lashing son of the zamindaar - make for rather subtle villains. We have seen more villainous villains, especially in the stories set in the pre-Independence era.

Azaad could have been a far more captivating watch. But, for now, it looks like a half-baked story. Does it make for a big screen experience? No. Is it a slow watch? Yes. Would it upset you? No.

Azaad will not blow your mind away. It is an easily forgettable film, but it won't disappoint you. Probably a nice OTT experience if you are in a mood to watch a sweet-little-slow something.

2.5 out 5 stars to Azaad.