Now unto the movie itself. After such hype and all the controversies, I was really excited to see what the fuss is all about. And I must say, I don’t get what made the board to ban the release. The film was a great exploration of the Punjab drug scene and the sometimes intersecting lives of four individuals but there was nothing in it which in any way could’ve offended anyone. Here I must say I think the CBFC overreacted.
The movie starts with showing a nice scene of how the drugs are locally peddled even across borders. At first the film seems like a quirky dark comedy with madness flying everywhere with Tommy Singh, played pretty convincingly by Shahid Kapoor. But don’t be fooled by its initial impression. This is one very serious movie about a very serious menace in our society. Infact the humour practically dies in the rest of the movie. Had it been crazier then maybe I should’ve rated it higher but that’s just my bias. I like such terrifying craziness in movies but nonetheless, the movie does not fail in any way. Its intentions and flow is pretty clear and firmly grounded. The movie does not move in a linear direction in terms of excitement though. It does not linearly go down nor it goes up. The movie has its moments, some very disheartening ones and some really wonderful ones. There is just so much melancholia in the movie that at some point you are just forced to wish the best of everything for everyone involved, no matter how clichéd it might look. The film turns from unsettling to tragic by the time we reach the conclusion. Maybe, that’s just exactly how a film should be about drug abuse.
The characters of Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shahid Kapoor, Dr. Preeti Sahni and Tommy Singh, are the most gleeful characters as compared to the others. Tommy is an inspiration for everyone caught in substance abuse while Dr. Sahni has dedicated her life to fight the menace of drugs. Tommy is high almost throughout the movie but we still see the guilt that has engulfed him due to his habit. He tries to avoid it but simply cannot perform without it and often resorts to antics harmful to others but then again regrets them almost immediately. Tommy is very well a character who may be caught in a storm but finds his way to redemption through his love for MJ and shows everyone that he’s not just some hollow junkie consumed by his addiction but there is still goodness inside. The saddest of the sequences is the story of Alia’s unnamed character (MJ). Right from the start we see her in abject poverty barely supporting herself, given up on her dreams and then things get far worse for her. Her story is so heart-breaking that the end of the film seems all the way more fair. Diljit’s Sarjit Singh also scores high in this department though as his brother is also an addict for which he holds himself responsible and in a way he is, but due to rampant corruption in the system he feels helpless.
Now the performances of everyone were great including all the artists in minor roles but holding great significance to the plot. The antagonists weren’t any A-list actors but they still did a solid job of showing a maleficence lurking in the regularity of everyday lives. Their subtle portrayal made the characters both believable and detestable. As for our four leads, all were very aptly cast and fit very well in the roles. If there is anyone noticeable on screen then it would be Alia Bhatt but she still did a convincing enough job. As for Diljit Singh, I can only say he was still better than most newcomers in Bollywood. Not once in the whole movie he strikes as a romantic nor is he in any way interested in the female doctor as against in most Bollywood flicks. He genuinely cares for her but never tries to force something in the plot-line which simply isn’t suitable.
The Verdict
Udta Punjab is a good film with few tense moments and few truly tragic ones but the message is very loud and clear and the movie with each passing second reminds us how drugs ruin lives all the users as well as the ones around them. Sometimes artsy, sometimes too predictable but Udta Punjab manages to capture the misery and drug affliction quite relevantly. As I said before, the movie is a very serious one and never takes the subject in question or itself lightly. Maybe that’s where it lacks. A bit more of dark humour and I might’ve rated it higher but nevertheless this is still a solid piece of work and deserves a watch or two even, for GABRU.
“Not just Tommy Singh but the author loves Mary Jane too. And yeah, fuck you- balli.”
No comments:
Post a Comment