Movie Review : Udta Punjab

My Rating

Movie Name : Udta Punjab
Directed by : Abhishek Chaubey
Produced by : Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Aman Gill,                            Vikas Bahl, Sameer Nair
Written by : Sudip Sharma
Cast  :  Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Diljit Dosanjh
Genre : Crime-Drama

Plot : Tejinder "Tommy" Singh (Shahid Kapoor) is a London-born Punjabi musician who lives a luxurious lifestyle assisted by his successful music career. Together with ostentatious crew that is led by Tayaji (Satish Kaushik), he indulges in uncontrolled consumption of cocaine. Tommy, also known as 'Gabru', is popular for his adrenaline-pumping songs that both were written with the help of and are about intoxication. However, Tommy has no qualms about his songs glorifying violence and drug-addiction. However, his frequent bouts of drug-snorting cost him his contract and land him in jail. In prison, he meets two of his die-hard fans who remark how Tommy's lifestyle had 'inspired' theirs. Realizing that his songs have adversely and negatively affected teenagers, Tommy decides to change his ways upon release. Few days later, Tommy engages in an altercation with Tayaji and accidentally shoots him, injuring his ear. This causes Tayaji to send Tommy and his crew to a farmhouse so that he can prepare for an upcoming concert.
Working on a farm is an unnamed Bihari migrant (Alia Bhatt), frequently called "Bauria" by a co-worker in the fields, whose dreams of playing national level hockey for the country were shattered. She came to work as a slave for a local patriarchal family who use agriculture as a front for drug peddling. One night, while roaming around in the farm, she finds a packet. Upon tearing open its contents and tasting it, she realizes that it is some kind of drug, and hence, resolves to sell it. Her search for a potential buyer lands her in great trouble as she is chased and captured by a gang of drug peddlers. They forcibly keep Bauria at their place where she is sexually and physically abused, given drugs and prostituted to several men including police officers from the local police force. Some weeks later, Bauria manages to escape from the house.
In this neighboring town also lives Preet Sahni (Kareena Kapoor), a doctor-cum-activist who runs a rehabilitation center. Sartaj Singh (Diljit Dosanjh) is a class-two policeman attached to the town's station who knows about the smuggling of drugs his seniors are allowing on a large scale. But when it affects his family, his brother, Bali (Prabhjyot Singh), overdoses on Chaand (locally-made drug) and is brought to Preet's clinic, he realizes the grave situation. She educates Sartaj about the drug problem and partly accuses him of his brother's state. Together, they decide to find the root cause of the problem.
Appearing before his audience in the concert, instead of singing, Tommy starts preaching. Infuriated by his speech about how one should lead his/her life, his fans try to admonish him and start throwing bottles at him. Tommy gets angry and urinates on the crowd.Making a run out of the concert to save himself from the crowd's angst, Tommy goes and hides inside a dilapidated structure. There he meets Bauria and together they start sharing their stories. However, the next day, Bauria is recaptured by the same gang who had kept her imprisoned.
Preet has been working in Punjab actively with drug abuse survivors and their families. She runs her own clinic in the area where she operates a residential rehab center. With help from a reformed Sartaj who discovers that his own brother is hooked on a locally-made drug, manages to find that the antagonist behind the drug problem in Punjab is an elderly man called Vikrant who has flourished with the support of MP Maninder Brar. Sartaj and Preeti go to extreme measures to collect evidence against the Parliamentarian and put together a report to be sent to the state's Election Commission to thwart Brar's campaign for another term in power. Sartaj develops feelings for her and asks her out to which she reciprocates willingly. However, one night, after returning from work, she is apprehended and fatally stabbed by Balli, who was being treated against his wish at her rehab center. The policemen who come to investigate her murder also come across her report.
In the presence of the drug mafia, Sartaj is questioned by his senior about the report. At the same time, Tommy, who is on the run from the police and has been searching for Bauria, jumps and enters the enclosure, alerting everyone including Vikrant and the senior policeman. He fatally hits Vikrant with his hockey stick and tries to make a move upstairs. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sartaj grabs his senior's service revolver and shoots everyone but Tommy. He then rushes inside the house to get his brother Balli, who is being held captive by Vikrant's wife. He shoots her and frees Balli, while Tommy goes upstairs and helps Bauria beat her captors. Finally, as Tommy and Bauria run off, Balli kneels down and cries in front of his brother whose face is expressionless. Later when Tommy calls Bauria on his crew member's phone to ask her real name. Sitting by a beach, she catches sight of a foreigner having fun. Inspired, she utters "Mary Jane"(Marijuana), the only name she knows.
*Plot is copied from Wikipedia* 

My take on the movie: Probably this was the most awaited movie of the year, especially after the controversy it faced. The movie had a very strong storyline but still the movie didn't go well with me. It started well with showing how the system itself is involved in drag dealing and what's the impact drags is causing on the youth of Panjab. The story was flowing in multiple POV , but none of them was established properly. The problem was stated very clearly but when it came to showing a solution, there was nothing which made this movie more of a documentary than a complete movie. The mass shooting at Sultanpur seemed like an extended version of Gangs of Wasseypur. 

Thumbs Up:

• - Alia Bhat as Bihari girl just amused me. Not for a single second, it occurred to me that she is Alia Bhat. She was flawlessly perfect. Superb acting, flawless bhojpuri pronunciation proved once again she is here to concur. You Rock Girl!!
• - Diljit Dosanjh was another actor who added life to his character. He has amused me as Satraj Singh, the corrupt police officer, a loving brother, a secret admirer of the girl she loves. With Diljit Bollywood definitely have got a horse of long race.
• - The song 'ik Kudi' just making me nuts. I might have heard the same for million of times and still want to hear it another millions of time.

Thumbs Down:

• - Karina Kapoor is the biggest thumb down to me for this movie. It felt like she completed her MBBS during 3 Idiots and now in posting to Punjab. Her make-up and dupatta never went unmanaged for a second which was just so unreal.
• - Shahid Kapoor has raised his bar very high with the movies like Kaminey, Haider, Jab We Met. But here he came across more of a jocker than anything else. His acting in Shaandaar was better than this. This movie seemed too much of overacting from Shahid Kapoor.
• The movie was more like a documentary 

Verdict : A one time watch.