Movie Review: A Brooding Tale About an Entrapping Danger!- Udta Punjab

***Spoiler Alert!***
CBFC has created enough buzz around the movie which had to invest absolutely nothing in promotion. Watching the movie, it feels like all the buzz was actually worth it! Shahid Kapoor has been one of intelligent stars out there with very few really dumb movies. With Kaminey, Jab we met, Haider, he proved himself. Alia Bhatt, on the other hand showed the meaning of acting with Highway. With Abhishek Chaubey taking megaphone and Anurag Kashyap producing the project, the expectations were over the top to say the least. On top of everything, Punjab drug problem being the center premise to the project, the project was just perfect on the papers. Let's see how it fairs on the big screen.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EJylz_9KYf8/maxresdefault.jpg
The movie opens with three guys on bike trying to get coke (Cocaine) into Punjab. Tommy Singh (Shahid Kapoor) is giving one of his performances with drugs in his system. The Cocaine package is later found by the girl only known to us as Mary Jane (Alia Bhatt). Dreaming for best days of her life, she decides to sell it for some money. Sartaj Singh (Diljit Dosanjh), a corrupt cop, gets commission from drug dealers to turn a blind eye on their trafficking. Preet Sahani (Kareena Kapoor), a selfless doctor is just focused on helping drug addicts. So, a rockstar addict trying to come out clean, a corrupt cop seeking redemption, a small town girl searching for better life and a pure doctor helping to make the state a better place, all get involved in a downward swirl of drugs, prostitution, murder and politics.
http://s3.india.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/alia-bhatt-in-udta-punjab.jpg
Udta Punjab is an honest movie. It stays as close to reality as possible with witty dialogues, power-packed performances, soulful music, beautiful camera angles and powerful theme. Choosing a teenager as the center of the movie is one of the greatest decisions. The scene where Tommy is arrested and two kids, who look up to him are there for murdering their mother as she refused to give money for their drugs gives a great impact on the audience. And the kids taking it so casually explains the adverse effect of drugs on the society. The drug lord using Mary Jane just to get his money back which she destroyed shows the monstrous decisions they're able to take just to keep their power and existence. With politicians distributing drugs in their election campaigns, we are shown of inimical situation in Punjab.

Highlights:
  • Lead Performances
  • Music
  • Script
  • Cinematography
Drawbacks:
  • Climax
  • Uneven pace
 http://images.indianexpress.com/2016/04/shahid-udta-punjab-759.pngThe biggest strength of Udta Punjab is lead performances. Alia Bhatt steals the show. With what is arguably the most de-glamorized role, Alia Bhatt will make you cry for the character. It's not Shahid Kapoor. It's Tommy Singh. Yup, he lives the role. Dilijit plays an intense role and again, an asset to the movie. Balli, Tayaji and Police Commissioner are other strong roles. Music is soulful. "Ikk Kudi...", "Da Da Dasse..." are gonna stay for a long time. And BGM is better than songs! Script is wittily written with a mix of disturbing and unfortunate facts and dark humor. All good things said and done, the movie has uneven pace. The editing feels a little jerky here and there. The climax, oh that's very rushed and bad!

Verdict: Watch the movie, stay away from drugs!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Movie Review: An Improvement from "The Beginning", Yet Far from Greatness.- Baahubali 2- The Conclusion

Image
***Spoiler Alert!*** You'd be very well aware that I was quite disappointed with Baahubali- The Beginning if you've been following me. Though the movie had reached heights in case of VFX, the only department to credit is that of Cinematography and nothing else. Good Visuals doesn't necessarily make a good movie . As The Beginning ended on a note of ambiguity, audience of the movie craved for closure. This meant that the sequel already bagged all of it's audience from the first movie. With enough hype surrounding the movie, the producers didn't compromise on the quality of making it as it seemed as a safe bet. The first look and trailer, even with it's weird soundtrack, added to the hype. The movie is out and is making tons of money. However, a movie that makes a lot of money in India doesn't necessarily be a great movie. The movie starts off with a visual recap of important sequences from the first part, during the titles. The visuals are impressive d
Read more

Appreciation Post- Why Arjun Reddy is a Modern Classic!

Image
In the wake of Kabir Singh (Hindi) and Adithya Varma (Tamil), the most controversial of it's time, the original, Arjun Reddy (Telugu) is once again in the news. It's been over two years since Arjun Reddy hit the theatres and is still one of the most talked about in the film fraternity. While some are of the opinion that it's just another movie with glorification of drugs and alcohol and mistaking obsession with love, others are of the opinion that Arjun Reddy is one of those rare movies that reinvent filmmaking. Kabir Singh and Adithya Varma may or may not meet the expectations but Arjun Reddy will be remembered for generations to come. Before we dig deep, one important thing to be remembered is that Arjun Reddy is not a story of a perfect protagonist. It's the story of a person who is transforming. The essence of the movie lies in the raw feel it carries. Arjun Reddy is as close to reality so far from it. He has the same issues as every other college going kid an
Read more

Movie Review: Better Stay at Home and Stare into Nothingness!- Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Image
***Spoiler Alert!*** Thanks to my sisters, I had to watch this movie which I wouldn't have otherwise! The best thing about this movie? The whole controversy stirred couple of weeks before it's release. Yup, that was much more entertaining! Though I didn't have much hopes from Karan Johar, I've always been an admirer of Ranbir Kapoor's acting, especially when he cries and looking at sensible subjects he usually chooses  (barring a few like Besharam, Roy e.t.c.) , I was tricked into believing there'll be something new in the movie. Oh boy, was I wrong! The movie starts off with Ayan (Ranbir Kapoor) being interviewed after he has become a successful singer. One of the questions from the interviewer makes him start his life story with Alizeh (Anushka Sharma) and Saba (Aishwarya Rai). Ayan has these obsessive feelings (ooh! creepy!!) towards Alizeh, a weak character who is obsessed (creepy part 2!!) with Ali (Fawad Khan). As Alizeh carries off to marry Ali af
Read more