The most talked about film of the year gets released amongst a big controversy fighting the ugly piracy. And with more number of people willing to know about the final outcome, its good news to be shared as UDTA PUNJAB does have a lot to offer to its viewers in terms of content and performances, along with some major avoidable insertions witnessed in its latter half.
Following the set pattern seen in the earlier two ventures of director Abhishek Chaubey (ISHQIYA and DEDH ISHQIYA), here we once again have a strong, performance driven film talking about a fresh theme where Abhishek (repeatedly) tries to impress the classes as well as the masses making some serious mistakes. Consequently, where the first half simply excels with many killer sequences, the second half isn’t able to maintain the pace and gets derailed soon heading towards a hurried and unappealing climax taking the easy way out.
To be specific, in a powerful film revolving around the burning issue of substance abuse in Punjab, its yet again the deliberately inserted romantic angles that spoil its whole spirit in the final hour and I am really unable to get why we cannot make such movies missing these (silly) clichéd love affairs focusing on the core subject?
Talking about the merits first, beginning with an eye-opener scene at the borders (that many might find hard to believe), UDTA PUNJAB grabs you within the first 15 minutes itself and then keeps you glued to the seats with the introduction of Shahid, Satish, Alia, Diljit, Kareena and Manav heading the four parallel storylines incorporated in its well-written screenplay.
(Spoliers Ahead)
Mentioning the brilliantly executed scenes in this winning part of the film (apart from the border one) just watch out for:
A. The recording studio sequence superbly mocking the RAP music scene prevailing in the Punjabi music industry at the present.
B. The scene at Police naaka with Manav Vij simply excelling playing the officer in charge.
C. Diljit talking to his younger brother wearing the green glasses.
D. Alia’s interaction with the old shopkeeper and Diljit’s brother in order to sell the packet she has found.
E. Kareena smiling at Diljit saying, “Saade Munde Te Theek Ne……. Horan De Kharaab” (Meaning: Our kids are all fine…… their kids are bad!)
F. And then the most upsetting and significant jail sequence, wherein Shahid gets thrown into a combined cell to be unexpectedly welcomed by two young boys singing his famous rap song. The boys have been following him since many years as their inspiring idol but have now reached the jail after killing their own mother in a rage missing their daily dosage.
A thoughtfully written and executed sequence, this one scene alone brilliantly conveys the decade old disturbing scenario involving the region, its music, the icons and the younger brigade of drug addicts in just a few minutes.
Having praised the first half in length, I also found a highly objectionable projection in one particular sequence showing Punjab and its people in pretty bad light. May be, because the director wished to present his story in a pure negative form, but this actually clearly revealed his lack of study of the state or a faulty kind of research discussed in the latter part of the review in more specific details.
Post intermission, though the narration has its own share of excellence visible in the stage confession and Shahid’s sudden meeting with Alia sharing their mutual experiences (with a meaningful kiss). But a severe drop in pace and the silly addition of romance like an essential Hindi film ingredient (right in the tense moments), simply derails the film for a long duration, till a serious unexpected twist puts it back on the track saving it from a complete crash. However just when you are expecting something major to happen soon as an exciting climax, a typical Tarantino type of a hurried, abrupt ending finishes everything off and you just keep watching the end credits with a confused amazement.
Coming to the worth watching, superlative performances given by the entire cast, its Alia Bhatt who completely outshines the rest playing the unexpectedly bold and fearless character of a Bihari labour girl, who wished to play professional Hockey before her father’s untimely death. The girl simply nails it with her sad, deserted looks minus the glossy make-up and turns out to be biggest merit of the film undoubtedly.
Both Kareena & Diljit subtly underplay their given roles of a doctor and a police officer respectively as per the director’s vision but I personally found the expected fire missing from Diljit’s responsible, revolting character as projected in the film’s exciting promos. Playing an iconic rap artist, Shahid puts his best to make it as loud and repulsive as possible but remains a confused kind of character throughout without any clear detailing given for his larger than life image having a huge fan following.
Surprisingly Satish Kaushik remains wasted in the role of Shahid’s father-like-mentor roped in to provide some comic moments alone full of loud abuses. But Manav Vij proves himself as a complete natural playing the corrupt senior inspector heading Diljit and his team just superbly. Mostly shot on locations, the supporting cast (including the local Punjabi artists) never seems to be out of place, strongly reminding you of the masters at work in the casting, art and direction department. And therefore UDTA PUNJAB largely works because of its key performers without depending upon the timely publicity gifted by the censor fights.
Moving over to the 16 point questionnaire posted on Wednesday mentioning the fears and confusions in mind before the film’s release. Here are the detailed answers for the same that would precisely complete the review along with the important conclusion.
1. What is the DISCLAIMER they are putting in the beginning of the film?
The Disclaimer first explains the basic issue of drug problem in Punjab. But then in the last lines raises a big debatable concern as pointed out by CBFC too that can ideally be considered as logical.
And the concern is that if in the Disclaimer you are accepting that this is a work of fiction with no reference or relation to any real person or place in particular. Then how can one clearly use the name of key cities like Taran Taran, Jullandhar and more making a decisive impression on the viewers. In other words, if it’s all a work of fiction then the names should also be imaginary, not clearly pointing towards any specific city or person following a simple logic. Indeed there is a point here to be given a thought!
2. How close is Shahid Kapoor’s onscreen character to the famous Honey Singh and how they have indicated the same with what kind of similar reference?
Right from his odd dress up to the mannerisms given, everything straight away indicates towards the persona of Honey Singh intentionally assigned to Shahid Kapoor in the film. And the point gets further proved when he is made to sing, “Wah Wah Tommy Singh!” exactly on the lines of “Yo Yo Honey Singh!”
So though Honey Singh has not been openly associated with any serious drug issue, the film clearly takes a dig on him that can easily be considered as deliberate and just made to create a controversy in order to entertain the eager audience with some loud shouting and abuses made by Shahid Kapoor.
But in reality the exact references for this specific part of the film are also taken from IT’s ALL GONE PETE TONG (2004), which is based on the tragic life story of a famous DJ, who suddenly became deaf and then disappeared mysteriously. Interestingly the film was earlier officially remade as SOUNDTRACK (2011) in Hindi cinema and the film’s BTC review can be read at the following link.
3. What is the language spoken in the film? Is it Hindi, Punjabi or an awfully sounding mix of both? And can this be a crucial problem for the non-Punjabi speaking regions in terms of understanding the dialogues?
The language largely remains Punjabi to the extent of 80% but it still can be understood by a majority particularly in the north circuits. However this obviously will remain an issue for the other non-punjabi speaking regions of the country and that is why the film has been released with English subtitles.
At times the mix Hindi-Punjabi accent does make you feel awkward at a few places. But then most of the characters speaking in an original Punjabi tone does help in maintaining the desired authenticity.
4. How ‘Bihari workers in Punjab’ are depicted on the screen and with what purpose through the character of Alia Bhatt?
There is nothing much about this specific aspect of the present Punjab in the film. Only the first scene of Alia Bhatt shows the Bihari labourers working in the field and the Punjabi owner sitting on a cot checking the new supply of drugs. Later in the second half we are also shown the way they live along the fields as Shahid comes searching for Alia, but that’s it.
5. How convincing is the reason of Diljit’s heart transformation in the film?
Frankly, anyone is bound to change when the problem hits his own house and family members other than the neighbours. So for me this reason for Diljit’s heart transformation was the most obvious and filmy, but not a great one. Further it was quite strange to see his romantic advancements towards Kareena when the family was all disturbed having a serious drug addict at home fighting for life. Honestly in a supposedly realistic film one doesn’t fall in love with the doctor of his dying brother to be exact.
6. What impact does Kareena makes in the role of an activist/doctor?
Right from the beginning, Kareena must be knowing that she didn’t have much to do in the film and it was all about Alia, Shahid & Diljit in particular focusing on their powerful roles. So it was quite supporting of her to say yes, performing in a cool, subtle manner. But her character doesn’t make much impact in the film missing any insightful depth.
7. How are the songs used in the film and do they result in any kind of influential provocation?
This is a dangerously concerning point.
In a film based on drugs and its life threatening impact on the youth, if there ought to be any songs, then they have to be the ones pointing towards the curse and its evil impact on the individuals, families and society altogether.
BUT we cannot really have some peppy dance numbers that can easily become the anthem for the same drug addicts, for whose awareness the film is supposedly being made for.
In other words, if you are making a responsible film against the drug addiction and also coming up with a great song in it to be enjoyed while sniffing the same deadly white powder in the night clubs, then I am simply confused what are you doing or what is your exact purpose of making this film based on drug consumption?
Yes, along with "Da Da Dassey" both the tracks ‘Chitta Veh’ & ‘Andar Da Kutta’ are well-made catchy songs in musical terms.
But if I am singing the lines as,
“O Chitta Ve, Chitta Ve……. Kaiyaan Nu Hai Khush Kitta Ve”
(Meaning – Oh White Powder, You have made many happy with your effect!)
or
“Powder Ki Layino Ka Rakhega Kaun Hisaab….. Haan Udta Punjab”
(Meaning – Who will keep account of the white powder lines to be sniffed…, yes flying Punjab)
or
“Chitthdey Ve Dil De Kar Mukiye, Hasti Ki Masti Mein Sui Phukhiye”
(Meaning – Lets break our heart into pieces and lets pierce the needle in the ecstasy of fun enjoying our very existence)
then,
I really don’t know either one is OPPOSING THE DRUGS or PROMOTING IT quite honestly.
In short the songs are already HIT and that itself is the dangerous contribution made by the film in the world of DRUG ADDICTION and their future rave parties for sure.
Plus just the other day, when I heard a 12 years old innocent kid passing by the road singing, “O Chitta Ve, O Chitta Ve” I really didn’t know how to rate the success of the song standing in a highly confused state.
8. How justified is the use of Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s cult song in the script, sung by Shahid?
It was really great to find this track in the film before its release till Thursday as its a beautifully composed, sung and arranged song unarguably. But the director has actually used this poem taking its first few lines in the simple literal sense that gels well with the story proceedings in the film at that particular time.
To give you a clear idea, the sequence has Shahid searching for Alia to save her from the goons who have kidnapped her again. And in this search he thinks of this song saying,
“Ek Kudi Jihda Naam Mohabbat, Gum Hai……Gum Hai….. Gum Hai”
(Meaning : One girl with the name of Love, is lost…… lost …… lost)
Perfectly fitting the situation in the film, the song sounds too good when we hear it on the screen. But revealing the concerning point, the original cult poem of Shiv Kumar Batalvi had a completely different vision behind the verses to be studied in details reaching the desired depth.
However now since it has become just another film song for the people not really in touch with the Punjabi Literature, I fear that many would get stuck to its visual use in the film itself and would never reach the actual meaning of the poem crossing this film-song barrier.
For instance, for more than 95% of the filmgoers, the earlier poem of Shiv Kumar Batalvi used in Imtiaz Ali’s LOVE AAJ KAL as “Ajj Din Chadheya Tere Rang Varga” just remained a love song from a great film soundtrack only and nothing beyond that. And I fear the same is going to happen with “Ik Kudi” too which is actually a much more important and immensely deep creation by the master that needs to be studied and grasped as a precious gem, miles ahead of just another good film song.
Therefore using this opportunity of reaching the young minds reading this sincere write-up, I would like to request that take this song as your introduction to the world of PUNJAB’s most respected, loved, and expressive poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi and be with him for a while to understand LOVE & PAIN in its purest form ever, making a big favour to yourself to be cherished forever.
9. How clearly is Pakistan and state politicians shown linked to the drug business in Punjab?
This is the crucial point where the writer-director intentionally played just a ‘touch and go’ game missing the bigger picture. Now was it due to the fear of losing business or else, I cannot say. But the film just makes a passing reference of Pakistan in its first scene and then also easily forgets about the political link up shown in the storyline itself, ending it all with a quick and easy culmination leaving everything as it is. So despite having touched the burning issue at the very right spot, the makers decide to take the ‘Patli Gali’ and ‘get away' revealing their casual approach.
So this is another indication that the theme of Punjab and its drug issue was only used as an exciting backdrop for the film with no vision of any social reform, revolution or message to the society as such.
10. How realistic is the abusive language used in the film in its major scenes? Was it really necessary or its just thrown in for the obvious reasons?
Any kind of abusive language can only be justified in the scenes of fights, torture, scuffles in public places, road mishaps and more related with anger on the screen in particular. So where the use of heavy abuses can be accepted in such specific scenes, it clearly looks like intentional when Satish Kaushik is made to shoud out loud in the studio and in other unconvincing scenes in my personal opinion. Thus, since there are many sequences in the film that would have actually made the same kind of impact even without the use of heavy cuss words added deliberately, this all looks like a good PR activity as seen in the director’s first film released in 2010.
In fact I was surprised to notice that they did not use the trick where it would have been most appropriate as per the script requirement in the second half’s stage sequence. For example, instead of pissing, if Shahid would have just abused the whole crowd on the mike in a fit of anger, then it would have made a much more violent scene (as I have personally experienced that happening with a big star)
On a lighter or filmy note…..!
11. How funny is Satish Kaushik’s character in the film taking care of the entertainment factor?
He is funny yes, but only while shouting the abuses and no where else. Instead, he has been utterly wasted in the film doing almost nothing. If truth be told, it seems he was called in just because he is a Punjabi knowing the expressions well!
12. How is romance portrayed in the proceedings linking the various characters?
Romance turns out to be the weakest insertion in the film hindering its overall pace. And it was really surprising to find it deliberately added into the script only to make it commercial in nature that was not really expected from a director like Abhishek Chaubey.
In clear words, a police officer brother of a young drug addict falling in love with the doctor treating his dying brother……… and a failing youth icon struggling with his own career, image and drug problems falling in love with a girl he meets (once) in a deserted building while running away from the mad public and police saving his own life……..wasn't anything realistic or convincing from any angle whatsoever?
On the very purpose of the film…..!
14. Can UDTA PUNJAB be a propaganda film in disguise having some political inclinations?
No, it cannot be any propaganda film made with any specific purpose of influencing the upcoming elections or more as it doesn’t even care about either the neighbour's supply or the politicians nexus in details incorporated in the basic script.
With only some vague indications made towards the politician bosses, the director is not even interested in giving the film any revolutionary culmination and is just willing to end it all in a typical QT kind of climax (eliminating everyone involved) truly following the Vishal Bhardwaj school of filmmaking highly influenced from Tarantino, Guy Richie kind of masters since its very origin.
13. Is it a socially concerned movie made with a responsible purpose or just using the backdrop of Punjab to get some instant eyeballs and publicity?
NO, this isn't any socially concerned movie thinking about the society as a whole.
The film simply uses the backdrop of Punjab for mere commercial purposes without any clear vision as such making it pretty clear.
But yes the huge publicity does bring out the issue before the entire nation and it will be great if even one person (addict) somehow manages to get out of this vicious trap of drugs post watching Shahid and Alia.
15. Projected as a social drive against drugs, does it also have any focus on the state of rehabilitation centers operating in the regions or just skips that considering it as unimportant?
NO, apart from the one scene where a volunteer can be seen advertising about their PRIVATE Rehabilitation Center among the hospital patients itself, the film makes no reference of the numbers or condition of Government and Non-Government rehabilitation centers operating in Punjab at all.
(Another indication of the film not made as any social drive)
And lastly but MOST IMPORTANTLY
16. How PUNJAB and the people of the state are portrayed in the film stressing upon the drug menace? Is the depiction full of negativity or they have also shown the positive side too following a balanced approach?
I mentioned a highly objectionable sequence in the early part of this review wrongly presenting Punjab and its people in all negative light. This is the scene where Alia reaches that village where she wishes to sell the packet for a good price. And just when she gets off the bus walking through the roadside, you get to see a completely wrong picture painted on the screen in terms of Punjab, its people and their very nature of life.
Now just try to visualize that scene again if you have seen the film.
Alia gets off the bus and notices every single person gazing at her like an evil hungry wolf looking at his daily meat.
An old man feeding his animals, two mechanics leaning over a car and another sitting on the rickshaw starts looking at her.
A person taking bath under the hand-pump is also staring at her scratching his underwear.
A group of men holding the bottles of beer in hand (standing by the road) keep looking at her constantly.
Another middle aged man gives her a strange angry look as she falls down on the road after accidently bumping into him, but he doesn’t pick her up.
A car is standing by the roadside full of young boys and the moment they see her running, they at once start the ignition with a motive of getting her.
They keep on following Alia till she moves into the fields and the girl goes on running in order to save herself from getting raped in the car.
NOW THIS IS NOT PUNJAB Dear Abhishek Chaubey!
PUNJAB is not a state of all criminals as shown in this particular scene where a girl cannot even walk alone on the road fearing a random attack.
Yes Punjab has a severe drug issue, it has cases of rapes and murders reported, its witnessing a serious political uproar, it has its farmers opting suicides and it has its own problems to tackle as other agricultural regions in our country.
But the state has yet not forgotten its spirit of life and dignity as you have shown in the film.
Yes, PUNJAB has lost a major ground in the past to many avoidable negative factors, but it still hasn’t lost those positive vibes, famous all over the world (encashed by YRF in their films since last many decades).
Yet for some reason, you chose to portray it with an absolute negative vision, wherein we cannot find even one positive character in the entire film (other than Kareena playing a doctor). The field owners are shown as drug peddlers, the police officers are shown as facilitators, the politicians are shown as the conspirators and even the farmers families (including the ladies) are shown involved in drug dealing, human trafficking and prostitution supplying women to the Policemen, as if it’s a kind of CITY OF CRIME not safe to visit for any outsider.
So if there was any kind of research made before this film was conceived, then it was all flawed and possibly done by some intern kids, looking for a short summer job fetching them some quick money.
Putting it bluntly, UDTA PUNJAB is a film that at one end wishes to present itself as a well-wisher of Punjab and its spirit of life depicting its major problem of substance abuse. But on the other has no issues in presenting the state as full of all merciless criminals like some kind of hidden tribute paid to the film CITY OF GOD, clearly displaying the lack of knowledge and research made by its entire team.
And in case this lack of research needs a proof then here it is caught in a scene (If I heard it properly), proving that there was no real Punjabi in its research team at all knowing the actual things.
The invisible flaw
As Shahid wakes up in the morning, after remaining unconscious in the night post a good beating given by the attacking goons, a background voice can be heard coming from a nearby Gurdwara reciting ‘Rehraas Sahib’.
Now as per the Sikh rituals, Rehraas Sahib is strictly to be read/sung in the evenings and not early mornings. For mornings it has to be ‘Asa Ki Vaar’ read/sung in the Gurdwaras.
But since there was no-one from Punjab to catch this minor flaw, the editor added whatever clip he was given in the backdrop without giving any serious thought.
(But if willing, the flaw can still be corrected while releasing the film’s official DVD).
Anyway coming to the conclusion (at last),
I readily agree to the statement made by Shyam Benegal that, ‘Technically it’s a well made film by all means including the cinematography and background score”.
Yes UDTA PUNJAB certainly has its strong merits and deserves to be seen as a must, especially for its terrific first half and its wonderful moments. But please don’t take it as any social message oriented film made against the drug menace in Punjab.
Watch it as a strictly commercial movie purposefully using the backdrop of Punjab and its regional characters led by a worth praising, splendid performance by Alia Bhatt.
But keep your thinking minds activated while watching the tricky film and addressing all friends living in different parts of the country and the world over, remember this is not the real PUNJAB of INDIA from any angle.
Rating : 3.5 - 1 = 2.5 / 5
(With the deduction made for the imbalanced depiction of PUNJAB full of all negative characters, purposefully misguiding the viewers painting a faulty picture.
And for the 2 songs, perfect to be played in the drug parties, that itself contradict the basic purpose of the film, IF it was made as a mission against the drug menace at all in the first place)
