Alia Bhatt comes out with flying colours in Udta Punjab

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Udta (flying) in the title is a metaphor which refers to the flight which drug addicts experience after taking drugs. Almost everyone has heard of the drug addiction problem of Punjab but this film takes us into the depths of the problem and how the political system and the police passively allow the availability of drugs. Drugs are as easily available in Punjab as are parathas and lassi.

The film highlights the problems faced by addicts and their loved ones through four characters rockstar Tommy Singh (Shahid Kapoor), sportswoman turned unnamed Bihari labourer (Alia Bhatt), cop Sartaj Singh (Diljit) and Dr. Preet Sahni (Kareena Kapoor Khan). The film runs three tracks concurrently- one with Tommy Singh, another with Sartaj Singh and Dr. Preet and the third with the Bihari labourer. Sartaj is a cop who turns a blind eye to the drug menace until his brother becomes a victim of it. Dr. Preet runs a rehabilitation centre for drug-addicts. With the help of Preet, he understands how bad the problem drug addiction is. On the other hand rockstar Tommy also gets transformed and starts on a journey to help the Bihari labourer.

There’s a lot but not all which the director Chaubey gets right. For instance, the chemistry between the characters doesn’t sizzle on screen e.g. Tommy no longer feels the need to take drugs because he has seen the pretty face of Alia but there is no such chemistry which could lead to such a dramatic u-turn by an addict. Similarly, the romance between Kareena and Diljit is far from sizzling.

Diljit is a Punjabi superstar but this is his debut Bollywood film. He adds a lot of authenticity to the character of Sartaj with his accent and acting. Shahid’s Tommy is an authentic self-made Punjabi rock-star who is always topless. He makes rock music only when he is high. His posture, hairstyle, tattoos, stage presence and making ‘v’ while performing all goes well with his role. But it is Alia Bhatt who stands out in the film. Except her Bihari accent which is less than perfect, she gets everything right. Her plight and grit as a migrant who is drugged and raped can be felt. The supporting cast has also done their parts well.

Even though most of the film is in Punjabi (with sub-titles), the dialogues by Chaubey and co-writer Sudip Sharma’s hit the nail. For most parts, the film is a dark movie highlighting the problem of drugs but a few scenes e.g. where two cops jokingly mention that the drug mafia is trying to turn Punjab into Mexico.

The songs, most of which (five out of six) refer to drugs and the drug addict’s state-of-mind, are composed by Amit Trivedi. The lyrics are written by Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Shellee and Varun Grover. The first one being Chitta Ve (cocaine in Punjabi is chitta). Then there’s ‘Ikk Kudi’ sung by the actor Diljit himself. I particularly liked the song “Hass Nach Le”. Amit Trivedi has introduced psychedelic trance to go with the dark flavor of the film. The music definitely goes with the theme of the film.

Abhishek Chaubey’s third notable film Udta Punjab (after Ishqiya and Dedh Ishqiya) was mired in controversies since May. First, the Censor Board asked the film makers to make around 90 cuts and gave around 13 pointers including removing references of places in Punjab and changing the title.

The co-producer Anurag Kashyap garnered support of the film industry and voiced his opinion against the Censor Board chief. The High court later allowed the film with only one cut. Just two days before the release of the film, another controversy popped up. Pirated copies of the film (the uncensored version) were available online.

Honestly, the whole fuss about the Censor Board’s view that the film shows Punjab in bad light and about the film’s drug-theme seem to be out of place. Firstly, drugs are a menace in Punjab and everybody knows it. Secondly, the film by no stretch of imagination encourages drug abuse. In fact, it screams at you about the ill-effects of it.

The controversies only perked up the interest of the audience to watch the movie. Has the movie met expectations after the controversies?

Yes, Udta Punjab is definitely worth the limelight and has met most of the expectations. Watch the film once for knowing more about the drug problem and also for Alia Bhatt who has come out with flying colours in the film.