Mumbai, March 1 (IANS) Karan Johar has unveiled the teaser of the Sara Ali Khan-starrer ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’, which pays homage to freedom fighter Usha Mehta, who at the age of 22 used an underground radio to broadcast news exposing the British Raj during the 1942 Quit India Movement.
The teaser, which is a minute and 32 seconds long, begins with KJo standing in a museum and looking at old pictures, including a board with ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ written on it. He then takes a look at a vintage radio receiver.
The video shows the director-producer saying, “1942. The Britishers were crushing the Quit India Movement. But then came Usha. At the age of 22, she was the ray of hope in our struggle for freedom.”
We then get a glimpse of Sara dressed in a plain white khadi saree and sporting a red bindi.
Continuing his commentary, KJo said, “She hid from Britishers, fought with them, bluffed them, and even risked her life to run an underground radio station. In ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’, meet Usha, the one whose radio shook up the Britishers. Usha’s story reminds me of so many of our young, unsung heroes.”
Usha Mehta’s inspiring story of bravado makes KJo also recall Sehmat Syed portrayed by Alia Bhatt in the 1971 India-Pakistan War story, ‘Raazi’.
Sehmat, an deep-cover intelligence operative, got married into the family of a top Pakistani general and ferreted out plans of what got to be known as the botched-up Operation Ghazi.
KJo also referred to Captain Vikram Batra (PVC), essayed by Siddharth Malhotra in ‘Shershaah’, who struck fear in the hearts of the enemy and made the ultimate sacrifice for the nation during the Kargil War.
Directed and written by Kannan Iyer, ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ has been co-written by Darab Farooqui.
The film features Sachin Khedekar, Abhay Verma, Sparsh Shrivastav, Alexx O’Neil and Anand Tiwari in pivotal roles. Emraan Hashmi makes a special appearance.
A Dharmatic Entertainment Production, produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta and Somen Mishra, ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ is set to premiere on Prime Video on March 21.
