Around the time of the movie's release, the film was leaked online with a Censor watermark stamped at the top left. Given the controversy that had plagued the film in the days before, it was obvious who leaked the movie and why. This act of blasphemy made me even more adamant to see this movie in theaters. I can now gladly say I have supported the movie.
Udta Punjab starts off with Tommy Singh (Shahid Kapoor) in a rock concert. In the first few minutes of his appearance, it's clear that this is going to be a very different performance. As Tommy, Shahid is unrecognizable in his avatar with long hair, french beard, tattoos all over, addicted to cocaine, mouthing profanities like the everyday teenager and singing songs that echo lyrics of Honey Singh. His entire character in fact seems to be designed to invoke memories of the real-life rap-star, perhaps to serve as an eye-opener to the youth of today on what they've become "fans" of.
He works with his gang of friends and his "Tayaji", a masterful Satish Kaushik in full form. His drug addiction and vulgar lyrics cost them a singing contract. Angered that anybody could refuse him, Tommy pursues the father-son duo, again mouthing cuss-words and snorting cocaine over a credit card. They manage to give Tommy his first dose of rejection. After a surprise birthday party, he is arrested for substance abuse proudly flaunting his name inscribed on his fingers to the camera.
Meanwhile, in another area, Aalia Bhatt's unnamed character works in agriculture when she unexpectedly ends up with a batch of cocaine. After estimating its worth to be in crores, she tries selling it off to drug-addicted youngsters only for her to be captured, made an addict herself and subsequently raped. Dark stuff indeed. While the scenes have been tastefully handled in that nothing explicit is shown, the performances still chill.
The third plot line concerns a certain cop Sartaj Singh (Diljit Dosanjh). After mostly letting drug suppliers in trucks pass away by extracting bribes together with his seniors, he awakens to the truth when his own brother is found to be a drug addict. He teams up with Preet Sahni (Kareena Kapoor Khan) to treat his brother and end the drug menace once and for all.
As expected, the three stories overlap smartly. I say smartly not only because it's not until the very end that you understand how they will end up together but also because the filmmakers ensure that Shahid and Kareena never share a scene together. A deliberate choice given their real-life history? Possibly.
Bollywood is often accused for melodrama and occasionally, some of the rather flimsy elements do creep in here, more so towards the second half. But for the better part, the narrative moves without a trace of cliché, ensuring that each story has something going for it, giving us characters to root for. You'll flinch when seeing Alia's unnamed Bihari molested and injected with the needle for the nth time as will you want Tommy to mend his ways at a point. Speaks volumes about the film's believability.
The movie has standout performances. Shahid and Alia shine. Shahid as Tommy Singh is simply unrecognizable; he seems to have undergone a radical makeover. So convincing is his portrayal of the foul-mouthed pop-sensation that you'll almost believe he's on drugs himself. Watch out for the scene in prison where Shahid hears from his fans and realizes the horror of what he's inspired. Alia Bhatt also flourishes and brings out her character's adversity and pain very effectively, completely ditching the glam look with a tanned makeup and patchy skin.
Diljit and Kareena offer effective performances too, the former better than the latter. Diljit, the new entrant in Bollywood for once, gives us a Sardar who is not cartoonish but instead very practical, sensible and ironically, one of the rare few who are not on drugs. As is Kareena who gets the most conservative role of the lot, the typical ideal journalist types hell bent on exposing an ongoing racket. Satish Kaushik is the hidden star of the show, the surprise package if you will. With his thick Punjabi dialect, he make you believe he genuinely cares for Tommy despite the a-hole that Tommy is. Other supporting cast is equally good.
The film is believable from start to end. For one, I can't make out where it was shot (mostly in actual Punjab). Cinematography is very natural - there are places so dark you can barely see the actors' faces. It seems very little color grading has been done with the filmmakers preferring outdoor natural light. The film does get a bit slow at times and there are some long takes which you wished were trimmed a bit but it still moves along smoothly given the multiple narratives it covers. Music and background score are spot on, capturing the state and vibe of Punjab to perfection.
Kudos to director Abhishek Chaubey and producers Anurag Kashyap and Balaji Motion Pictures for attempting a project of this sort, bringing to light the plight of Punjab. This is a solid film where Abhishek manages to extract the best out of his actors and his crew. Who would've known of all actors, Shahid and Alia were capable of such, adult, stuff. Despite the dark content of the movie, Abhishek slips in some elements of dark humor, keeping the film engaging at all times.
It deserves a theatrical watch. Films like these need our support so that they can flourish leading to more of them. Udta Punjab's earnings so far indicate it is on track for becoming a Box Office Hit.
Udta Punjab starts off with Tommy Singh (Shahid Kapoor) in a rock concert. In the first few minutes of his appearance, it's clear that this is going to be a very different performance. As Tommy, Shahid is unrecognizable in his avatar with long hair, french beard, tattoos all over, addicted to cocaine, mouthing profanities like the everyday teenager and singing songs that echo lyrics of Honey Singh. His entire character in fact seems to be designed to invoke memories of the real-life rap-star, perhaps to serve as an eye-opener to the youth of today on what they've become "fans" of.
He works with his gang of friends and his "Tayaji", a masterful Satish Kaushik in full form. His drug addiction and vulgar lyrics cost them a singing contract. Angered that anybody could refuse him, Tommy pursues the father-son duo, again mouthing cuss-words and snorting cocaine over a credit card. They manage to give Tommy his first dose of rejection. After a surprise birthday party, he is arrested for substance abuse proudly flaunting his name inscribed on his fingers to the camera.
Meanwhile, in another area, Aalia Bhatt's unnamed character works in agriculture when she unexpectedly ends up with a batch of cocaine. After estimating its worth to be in crores, she tries selling it off to drug-addicted youngsters only for her to be captured, made an addict herself and subsequently raped. Dark stuff indeed. While the scenes have been tastefully handled in that nothing explicit is shown, the performances still chill.
The third plot line concerns a certain cop Sartaj Singh (Diljit Dosanjh). After mostly letting drug suppliers in trucks pass away by extracting bribes together with his seniors, he awakens to the truth when his own brother is found to be a drug addict. He teams up with Preet Sahni (Kareena Kapoor Khan) to treat his brother and end the drug menace once and for all.
As expected, the three stories overlap smartly. I say smartly not only because it's not until the very end that you understand how they will end up together but also because the filmmakers ensure that Shahid and Kareena never share a scene together. A deliberate choice given their real-life history? Possibly.
Bollywood is often accused for melodrama and occasionally, some of the rather flimsy elements do creep in here, more so towards the second half. But for the better part, the narrative moves without a trace of cliché, ensuring that each story has something going for it, giving us characters to root for. You'll flinch when seeing Alia's unnamed Bihari molested and injected with the needle for the nth time as will you want Tommy to mend his ways at a point. Speaks volumes about the film's believability.
The movie has standout performances. Shahid and Alia shine. Shahid as Tommy Singh is simply unrecognizable; he seems to have undergone a radical makeover. So convincing is his portrayal of the foul-mouthed pop-sensation that you'll almost believe he's on drugs himself. Watch out for the scene in prison where Shahid hears from his fans and realizes the horror of what he's inspired. Alia Bhatt also flourishes and brings out her character's adversity and pain very effectively, completely ditching the glam look with a tanned makeup and patchy skin.
Diljit and Kareena offer effective performances too, the former better than the latter. Diljit, the new entrant in Bollywood for once, gives us a Sardar who is not cartoonish but instead very practical, sensible and ironically, one of the rare few who are not on drugs. As is Kareena who gets the most conservative role of the lot, the typical ideal journalist types hell bent on exposing an ongoing racket. Satish Kaushik is the hidden star of the show, the surprise package if you will. With his thick Punjabi dialect, he make you believe he genuinely cares for Tommy despite the a-hole that Tommy is. Other supporting cast is equally good.
The film is believable from start to end. For one, I can't make out where it was shot (mostly in actual Punjab). Cinematography is very natural - there are places so dark you can barely see the actors' faces. It seems very little color grading has been done with the filmmakers preferring outdoor natural light. The film does get a bit slow at times and there are some long takes which you wished were trimmed a bit but it still moves along smoothly given the multiple narratives it covers. Music and background score are spot on, capturing the state and vibe of Punjab to perfection.
Kudos to director Abhishek Chaubey and producers Anurag Kashyap and Balaji Motion Pictures for attempting a project of this sort, bringing to light the plight of Punjab. This is a solid film where Abhishek manages to extract the best out of his actors and his crew. Who would've known of all actors, Shahid and Alia were capable of such, adult, stuff. Despite the dark content of the movie, Abhishek slips in some elements of dark humor, keeping the film engaging at all times.
It deserves a theatrical watch. Films like these need our support so that they can flourish leading to more of them. Udta Punjab's earnings so far indicate it is on track for becoming a Box Office Hit.