The year’s most unconventional love triangle is already here. In Abhishek Kapoor’s Hindi-language Azaad, a young man falls for a young woman but then spends most of his time making eyes at a horse, which responds in full measure.
The black horse named Azaad is a stunning enough equine specimen to distract Govind (Aaman Devgan) from his interest in Rai Bahadur’s daughter Janaki (Rasha Thadani). The tyrannical Rai Bahadur (Piyush Mishra) and his mean son Tej (Mohit Malik) are the type of whip-wielding feudals who typically lurk in films set in 1920, like this one.
Tej is equally cruel towards his wife Kesar (Diana Penty), mostly out of spite because her heart throbs for Azaad’s rider, the rebel Vikram (Ajay Devgn). Vikram and his gang conduct frequent raids on the British officials who have recruited Rai Bahadur’s services.
Azaad eventually passes on to Govind, who must try and bond with the creature so that he may save his village from servitude. If Govind’s relationship with Janaki falls by the wayside, only Azaad – magnificent but temperamental too – is to blame.
A mishmash of anti-colonial patriotic drama, youthful romance and human-animal interaction, the 147-minute Azaad has too far many plot strands working at the same time. The Naya Daur meets Lagaan via How to Train Your Dragon movie stacks its most engrossing portions in the pre-interval section.
Kapoor and screenwriters Suresh Nair and Ritesh Shah confidently set up a tale of oppression, rebellion and valour. Amaan Devgan, in his first movie, has ample sincerity, if not quite the mien of a leading man. The action sequences are well crafted, with men on horses kicking up the dust as they fight for freedom.
But just like it’s hard to tame a horse that doesn’t want to be tamed, it’s tough to steady a film that is all over the place. The romance between Govind and Janaki gets short shrift, as does the landlord’s collusion with the British.
The delight of watching real horses in action rather than computer-generated creatures is somewhat undercut by the degree to which Azaad is anthropomorphised. The animal displays questionable levels of humanness, from throwing tantrums to quaffing liquor. Yet, Azaad steals the show, leaping to the rescue every so often and justifying its importance in a movie that is named after it.
