Sara Ali Khan‘s highly-anticipated movie, Ae Watan Mere Watan, follows the journey of a young woman who goes on to become a freedom fighter.
Kannan Iyer directed the movie alongside writer Darab Farooqui. Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra produced it under Dharmatic Entertainment. The movie is set against the backdrop of the Quit India Movement in 1942.
Ae Watan Mere Watan also stars Sachin Khedekar, Abhay Verma, Sparsh Shrivastav, Alexx O’Neil, and Anand Tiwari, alongside a cameo appearance by Emraan Hashmi. The movie will be available to stream on March 21, 2024, on Amazon Prime Video.
Check out the announcement video for the movie:
Ae Watan Mere Watan is inspired by real-life freedom fighter Usha Mehta
The release date announcement video for Ae Watan Mere Watan features an audio informing the listeners that they will wake up in an Independent India soon. The speaker is indeed Sara Ali Khan’s character, Usha Mehta, who runs a clandestine radio channel during the British Raj.
The movie draws inspiration from real-life freedom fighter Usha Mehta and also pays homage to the unsung heroes. It aims to tell a fictional tale of an underground radio station that changed the course of India’s freedom struggle.
Who was Usha Mehta?
Usha Mehta started Congress Radio, also known as the Secret Congress Radio. During India’s struggle for independence from British colonial authority, Usha Mehta and her radio station played a pivotal role. In 1988, she received the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honor bestowed by the Indian government.
As a child, Mahatma Gandhi’s beliefs strongly impacted her, and she later joined his movement. She adopted the life of celibacy and only wore a Khadi. At eight years of age, she screamed her first anti-British Raj protest, “Simon Go Back,” during a march against the Simon Commission in 1928. She also participated in the early-morning picketing in front of liquor stores and demonstrations against the British Raj.
On August 14, 1942, Usha Mehta and her close friends launched the Secret Congress Radio, a secret radio station. Mahatma Gandhi and several other leaders broadcasted messages through the radio station. The organizers changed the station’s location daily to prevent it from being discovered.
However, on November 12, 1942, the police eventually located and arrested them, including Usha Mehta. Under the second Congress administration in the state, Home Minister Moraji Desai ordered the release of Usha Mehta. This made her the first political prisoner to be released in the Bombay province.
Stream Ae Watan Mere Watan on March 21, 2024 on Amazon Prime Video.
