आज़ाद

Azaad (2025) is a period action-drama set in pre-Independence India, directed by Abhishek Kapoor and produced by RSVP Movies and Guy In The Sky Pictures. Govind (Aaman Devgan, making his Bollywood debut), an underprivileged youth living under oppressive feudal rule, encounters rebel leader Vikram Singh (Ajay Devgn) and through this encounter inherits a prized horse named Azaad. The film traces Govind's journey from subjugation to self-determination through his bond with the horse, a forbidden romance with Janaki (Rasha Thadani, also making her debut), and a climactic high-stakes horse race that becomes an act of community liberation. Aaman Devgan is the nephew of Ajay Devgn; Rasha Thadani is the daughter of Raveena Tandon. Running 145 minutes, Azaad was released theatrically on 17 January 2025 but failed commercially, earning approximately ₹9.17 crore worldwide against an estimated ₹80 crore budget, and subsequently moved to Netflix (from 14 March 2025).

Amit Trivedi's score for Azaad is among his most classically-inflected, drawing on the folk and North Indian classical traditions appropriate to the film's pre-Independence setting. The album features five compositions including the romantic duet Ajeeb-O-Gareeb (Arijit Singh and Hansika Pareek), the freedom anthem Azaad Hai Tu (Arijit Singh and Trivedi himself, with lyrics by Swanand Kirkire and Amitabh Bhattacharya), the folk celebration Birangay (Trivedi and Meenal Jain), the feminine portrait Uyi Amma (Madhubanti Bagchi), and the introspective Azaad Hai Tu Reprise (Trivedi solo). Amitabh Bhattacharya wrote four of the five songs; Swanand Kirkire co-wrote the title track. The album was released under Zee Music Company on 10 January 2025.

A high-investment period action-drama set in pre-Independence India that launched two generational debuts — Aaman Devgan (Ajay Devgn's nephew) and Rasha Thadani (Raveena Tandon's daughter). Directed by Abhishek Kapoor (Kai Po Che, Kedarnath), it represents an ambitious attempt to revive the pre-Independence drama genre. Amit Trivedi's classically-inflected score with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya and Swanand Kirkire produced one of 2025's more richly musical albums, anchored by Arijit Singh's 'Azaad Hai Tu' as a genuine freedom anthem.

One of 2025's biggest box office failures — earning ₹9.17 crore worldwide against an estimated ₹80 crore budget. Both debuts were overshadowed by the commercial collapse. Netflix acquisition from March 14, 2025 gave the film a second life and a wider audience. 'Azaad Hai Tu' and 'Ajeeb-O-Gareeb' found sustained streaming appreciation after the theatrical disappointment. The failure became a cautionary tale about star-launching vehicles in the period genre, echoing the industry's post-pandemic struggles with large-budget non-franchise productions.