Preview:
A flying performance by Shahid Kapoor once again after Haider. Legend film makers are using a good talent in epic way. May it be Vishal Bhardwaj in Kaminey and Haider or Anurag Kashyap now in Udta Punjab.
Shahid, started his career with chocolate hero image in Ishq Vishq, and slowly transformed into character playing ability.
Coming straight to story of the movie, it is well intertwined yet well taken care by director to avoid conflicts.
Three stories running in parallel and intersecting each other several times. One, story of police ACP Sartaj Singh, involved in system, allowing drug racket in Punjab and also suffering the effect in his own family as his younger brother gets addicted of drugs. A doctor trying to fight out drugs inside her hospital and outside too by spreading awareness in public.
Second story of A Bihari girl with an ambitions to play national hockey, but gets fate against her and is forced to work in Punjab as a farm slave and gets indulge in drug deal.
Third story of rise and fall of a pop singer Gabru, who is inspiration of youngsters for becoming popular like him and also drug addict like him.
Review:
Even in the intersecting story line, care has been taken that two actors (Shahid and Kareena) do not intersect each other in entire film. (why?, all of you (should) know)
Coming to the story, Udta Punjab is a story of Punjab and many states like it which are grasped in the arms of drug addiction.
Punjab is shown in comparison to Mexico many times in the film. Mexico- “Maximum Cocaine”, may be.
A good hype was created before release of the movie by censor board for using Punjab as drug addict state. It’s not like that, drug addiction is new for cinema, its well known fact in society and many Hollywood films are portraying it. Let it be “Requiem of a dream (2000)”, “Enter into void”, “Traffic” etc. Udta Punjab seemed too dark for Indian censor board though.
Talking about treatment, editing and performances, regional tone has been well adapted by all actors in the movie. Shahid, after plying Kashmiri youth in Haider, has well-tuned his accent of Punjabi pop singer.
No or less makeup of Alia Bhatt, made her role look realistic. By expression, she could be in her character well, but it seemed dialog accent was not well practiced by her of a Bihari Girl. At many points it seemed forced. During the scene, where Bihari Girl cries for her fate, she says “Abahun khada hai, abhi bhi khada hai..” dialog accent ignored for a while.
Kareena looked old against Sartaj to fall in love with her.
Performance by Sartaj’s younger brother cannot be ignored, as he portrayed well innocent, un confident and addicted to drugs, well natural acting by him.
Few mistakes we can catch in the movie are like, PAGLIYA, played by Alia is illiterate Bihari, but she could read FUDDU well in dark (low light) on head of Shahid, or Gabru.
Another, Riding bicycle for 108km even Tommy (Shahid) he is shown limping on one leg. He also climbs wall twice with that limping leg.
Few plus points well taken care like, accent of all characters, let it be Bihari Pagalia, Punjabi Gabru. All played well.
Alia Bhatt’s character was not given a name till end of the movie. Though at the end, she declares her name as Mary Jane, but also she looks at one girl at beach, which might be her name. So Alia’s character name is not disclosed in movie.
The Cap worn by Gabru while going for performance, reads “drugs di maa di” also well used. Quick Kissing scene of Shahid and Aalia in the flow of strong dialog by Alia, long dialog by Aalia while she cries for her fate. Also well taken care points like grass on Shahid Kapoor’s back while chasing, as he was laying on grass all night.
Tommy Singh’s character can be to compared to Honey Singh, as name resemble to his name and also the character and profile shown in movie. Tommy Singh is also referred as a ”Dog” by Alia’s character in movie.
Some facts like composer Amit Trivedi also sung song “Vadia” by himself, and “Ek Kudi” was sung by Diljit Dosanjh, who is plying Sartaj in the movie.
The music of the move and theme is dark.
Though movie had some let go events like Kareena and Sartaj’s string operation made too easy, like entry into factory of drug making, collecting evidence without getting noticed by anyone even once, etc. (if it was too easy, why bloody no one did it before)
Overall, movie is must watch for performance, story treatment and dark and real subject.