Since the past few years, the drug menace in Punjab has become a growing concern and awareness about it has spread far and wide.
Udta Punjab attempts to showcase this problem loud and clear. It is dark, disturbing and even violent. But it has its entertaining portions and has a fine story to tell as well. In short,
it's a film that will surely give you a high'!
The story of the movie: Tommy Singh (Shahid Kapoor), a
rockstar from
Punjab, is heavily dependent on drugs. He gets arrested for it and it changes his life and his way of living. A
Bihari migrant labourer (Alia Bhatt) realizes that she can become super rich when an appropriate opportunity comes her way. But she messes it up and gets sucked into drug addiction.
Dr. Preeti Sahni (Kareena Kapoor) is trying to fight drug menace and has a strong desire to expose the politician police nexus that is fuelling the drug trade.
Inspector Sartaj (Diljit Dosanjh)tries to be ignorant about the drug mafia happening around him - after all, he is getting his cut. But when a loved one gets sucked into it and faces disastrous consequences, he decides not to be a mute spectator.
Udta Punjab begins on a great note - the manner in which the title is displayed is very funny. The entry of all four main actors is well executed, especially Shahid. It's always a task if one is making a film with multiple tracks running simultaneously. It can get messy but director Abhishek Chaubey handles it very well. Also, few scenes nicely give way to the next one, involving another track.Tommy's track is the most dramatic and entertaining of all. And it also gets touching in few scenes and that makes Tommy a character with whom audiences would empathize. The last bit is a bit filmy and slightly unconvincing but it makes for an excellent watch. TheBihari labourer's track is extremely disturbing and sad but it ends on a great note. Sarjat-Preeti's track is more or less merges in the very beginning and remains so till the end. This track is the sweetest part of the film but it also has its nail biting moments. The manner in which it culminates is astonishing.
Udta Punjab rests on rock solid performances by all main actors. Shahid Kapoor delivers yet another mind blowing performance after Haider. It is unbelievable the way he gets into his character totally, making one forget all his past performances. The stage scenes and sequences where he is abusing are too good but watch out for the scene when he is cycling - look at his expressions and the way he emotes - it is just awesome! Alia Bhatt plays the wronged character with aplomb and goes one step ahead of Highway. The scene where she releases her frustration is a masterstroke. Her accent sounds a bit weird initially but after a point, one doesn't mind. Same happens with Kareena Kapoor - her attempt to speak Punjabi looks a bit superficial. But again, it's something that doesn't come in way of her performance. She does a fantastic job and is a character for which she will be remembered for a long time. First Ki & Ka and now Udta Punjab, Kareena Kapoor is on a roll this year! Diljit Dosanjh makes a confident debut and is ideal for this role. His looks and way of performing are something to watch out for. Satish Kaushik (Tommy's uncle) is effortless and also raises laughs at few places. Suhail Nayyar (Jassi, Satish Kaushik's son) is likeable. Manav Vij (Inspector Jujhar Singh) makes his presence felt.Prabhjyot Singh (Balli) and Vansh Bhardwaj (Sonu) leave a huge mark. Others also do a good job.
Amit Trivedi's music is soulful and one of the best of the year. Chitta Ve leaves a huge mark followed by Ikk Kudiand Da Da Dasse. Naren Chandavarkar and Benedict Taylor's background score is in sync with the film and used very smartly. Meghna Sen's editing is crisp and stylish. Kunal Sharma's sound design is effective, especially the truck horn - it is unforgettable! Rajeev Ravi's cinematography is raw at places and goes very well with the film's mood. Sudip Sharma's dialogues are simple yet dramatic. Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Chaubey's screenplay is very well-written. As said before, it's not easy to make and even write such a film but the writers have really done a good job. It is evident that a lot of research has gone into making this film. Abhishek Chaubey's direction is fabulous. All his 3 films till now (Ishqiya, Dedh Ishqiya, Udta Punjab) have been great and this really speaks a lot about his talent. With Udta Punjab, he proves his worth of moving away from the entire Ishqiya zone and yet coming out with flying colours. Udta Punjab has some unconvincing moments at places - the manner in which the Bihari migrant changes her decision in the Da Da Dasse song or when Tommy suddenly turns all heroic. But these are minor flaws and don't matter much. All in all, a great job by Abhishek and hope he continues this form in his next films too!
Some of the best scenes:
1. The first scene
2. Tommy comes out of the bathroom, gets arrested
3. Sartaj gets an earful from Preeti
4. Sartaj follows a truck
5. Tommy meets other prisoners in jail
6. Sartaj-Preeti in the factory
7. Sartaj-Preeti's chit chat in the middle of nowhere at night
8. Tommy talks to his audiences
9. Tommy meets Bihari migrant
10. Tommy meets Bhandi in the hospital
11. The last 20 minutes
On the whole, Udta Punjab shocks as well as entertains. It is a great instance of how a film can enlighten viewers about a menace and at the same time provides them with a thrilling and entertaining experience. Performances of all four main actors are terrific. At the box office, the film has taken a good opening and with no other major release till Sultan, it can sustain and excel and prove to be a hit. Recommended!
My rating - **** out of 5!
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