English translation: Rise, Punjab!
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Story: Sudip Sharma, Abhishek Chaubey
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Diljit
Dosanjh
Music: Amit Trivedi, Benedict Taylor, Naren Chandavarkar
Time: 148 minutes
Bottom-line: Realistic, dramatic and powerful
The
Indian version of Trainspotting deals
with the lives of four people in the state of Punjab, a place infamous for its
drug trafficking (and pretty much anything and everything you can do with
drugs!). The film has an ensemble cast featuring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor,
Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh (in his debut appearance).
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| Shahid Kapoor as Tommy |
Tejinder
“Tommy” Singh (Shahid) is a Punjabi musician, who is known for singing
adrenaline-pumping songs written under the influence of – and about – drugs. He
has affected the lives of many youngsters who have taken to drug consumption,
but he couldn’t care less about them. This practise eventually lands him in
jail, where he decides to reform, after seeing the plight of his followers. An
unnamed Bihari farmworker (Alia) finds a packet containing three kilos of
heroin, which she decides to sell for a fortune. The packet only fetches her
trouble, as she is used as a prostitute by a drug mafia who capture her. Sartaj
Singh (Diljit) is a policeman who also allows illegal drug trade, and turns a
deaf ear to his duties as a cop…until his own brother becomes a victim of drug
addiction. He joins forces with Preet Sahni (Kareena), the doctor who treats
his brother, to bring down the cartel. The various tales intertwine in one
story of violence, love, crime and revenge.
 |
| Alia Bhatt as the unnamed worker |
One
thing that gave Udta Punjab a lot of publicity is the involvement of
the censor board; thanks to the film’s lewd content and language and portrayal
of drug abuse, the film had over 80 cuts initially. However, all of that
content just added to the drama; it made people aware of the extremities one
could go to under the influence of drugs. I like the way the film cleverly
portrays the state of all classes of people: a rich, spoilt star, a poor
worker, a middle-class doctor, and a cop – all their lives woven into one
story.
 |
| Kareena Kapoor as Dr. Preet Sahni |
The
pace is good, with rarely a boring moment. The ending is a bit abrupt, but when
you realise the journey each character has taken to get there, it makes you think
how much they have changed (the expression of Diljit as the screen cuts to
black will be haunting you for a while). Udta
Punjab will also be noted for what I consider the best performance till
date, of Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. The romantic hero now plays the
cocaine-addicted, expletive-spewing musician, and the heartthrob you saw in 2 States plays the innocent captive of
the drug mafia (with instances of violence that will jolt you properly!). Look
out for the scene where she meets Tommy for the first time, and pours out all
her feelings; such emotion and body language was amazing. Diljit Dosanjh should
have a good career ahead of him now, with this debut performance being
surprisingly well-composed and executed.
 |
| Diljit Dosanjh as Sartaj |
Udta Punjab
is not for those looking for a light-hearted film; the grave issue that’s
ruining Punjab right now is picturised quite convincingly, in terms of story
and more importantly, the acting. All four lead actors are superb, and that
itself should be a reason to watch the film.
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