Dare to Bare the Reality. Review on Udta Punjab

To begin with, was the whole gung-ho about the story and depiction in Udta Punjab necessary? I’d say YES. Not because it uses or tries to defame a state(which it doesn’t) but only due to its flaws. It shows the sad affairs of a state being addicted to drugs. The human tendency not to give a care when this is happening to others or just our neighbours, but when the Satan comes home then we open our eyes to the reality. This movie has something to show and say, both with conviction and flair.

Udta Punjab is the most apt title, where udta(flying) is both a metaphor and a reality of drugs. Anyone who has snorted, shot up or sniffed knows what the title actually depicts. But it is another thing to come down with a thud, and this movie shows this “thud” by converging the paths of four characters, whose lives get rambled due to drugs.

Director Abhishek Chaubey shows how the drugs get smuggled across the borders into many parts of Punjab and the ruthless people working nonchalantly in this business is what he has brought to light in Udta Punjab. He majorly steers the journey of 4 individuals Tommy Singh(Shahid Kapoor), Sartaj Singh(Diljit Dosanjh), Dr. Preet Sahni(Kareena Kapoor Khan) and Mary Jane(Alia Bhatt).

Enter the rockstar, Tommy Singh, who is a full-time user, rhyming coke with c0ck and making a song out of it(someone was really high, but well scripted) and his high-on-the-white-stuff young fans love it. This lasts only till there is money and jollies – ‘chitta’ powder- powder are over. And he opens his no-more-high eyes in a field about to be battered by Bihari farm labour Mary Jane, who has also become unwitting victim in this malicious game, he stutters, stops and starts to see.

Sartaj Singh is a corrupt cop, who gets his additional earning of the month by keeping blind eye to all the drug routes and pass-ons. He is happy with his earning and doesn’t sigh until he comes to know that his brother has fallen into the dark circle of drug-hell. The feisty Dr. Preet Sahni, is trying to make her state free from drugs, making people aware of its effects and how it hampers not just one life but everyone who is connected. She runs a rehabilitation clinic, becomes a strong influence on Sartaj and that’s when movie turns around.

The first half of the movie shows all the lives spiralling around drugs but second half just tries to hold on to those features as it is easy to see how the writers are trying to find a closure. The script contrives at many places, for once the strong character what Kareena could have portrayed was very much limited. She turned into sleuth and scenes where she and her cop companion trailing down a dark godown, tracking down the baddies, are the film’s weakest.

What captivates the most is how Alia’s character Mary Jane is shown degraded, both physical and mentally, kind of horrifying. A teenage addict spiralling down the primrose path is yet another situation which makes you go see-this-is-what-drugs-do-to-you. It totally hits the bull’s eye.

Performances, definitely, kept the movie from running afar. Everything right where they have to be and should be. Shahid Kapoor’s strutting and tangled hair, thrusting on the stage, the constant V, completely convincing as a rockstar. What goes on inside him is really missed and I would have liked to see much of him character pan on the screen.

Two actors who make this thing sing are Diljit and Alia. Diljit already a Punjabi star is making his Bollywood debut here. He is just stellar, adds authenticity to the character and stays right with it. Alia has grabbed the Bihari accent very well, the body language and, the way she channels the pain and strength of a young girl, is astoundingly remarkable.

The film is entirely Chaubey’s, undoubtedly. The land of lassi and mustard fields is no more about romantic songs, but there is more to it. Why to miss it, there is no reason not to.

Don’t watch Udta Punjab because of the controversy it has been into, but it is a story which no one dared to show. Dare-to-bare the reality.

PS: For once, stop being a pirate and get out of the darkness to watch this movie in theatre. The movie-makers have dared make a flick out of something that no one dare touch. So respect all the sweat and blood drawn into making and release of Udta Punjab. None of it makes a difference to none, however, this fight is not against “piracy” but a whole lot bigger giant – censorship. Still you don’t feel the need to watch it in theatres, wait for it to be aired on a screen much near you – your television. Until then, respect the movie and the hands that made it. This is how you extend your support to their fight for Freedom of Expression.