WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The lure of getting high, feeling good, finding a peaceful mindset, losing oneself. Seeking such euphoric, delirious experiences can take on so many forms, with the means to obtain said states of bliss also revealing themselves in methods both sublime and destructive. Emotionally derived thrills can be exhilarating, while those that turn to illicit drugs face consequence after fleeting satisfaction. For the youth in the upper-crust, north Indian State of Punjab, it is the latter that has entrenched itself within their communities. Finding forced highs and tragic lows amidst the drug-riddled streets and neighborhoods, four lives head towards unexpected and chaotic intersection, ultimately each of them being deeply impacted by the scourge flooding their beloved home.
Rap/rocker Tommy Singh (Shahid Kapoor) knows fame and fortune, but a dependency on cocaine and other substances has suddenly muddied his career and life vision, causing a severe downward spiral. Lowly, but hard-working, farm hand, Mary Jane (Alia Bhatt), has an unanticipated run-in with drugs that leads to a decision both desperate and unwise. Thinking to better her circumstance, she encounters dealers who have other plans. Local cop Sartaj (Diljit Dosanjh) looks at his job through tainted morals as his commander and others on the force choose to look the other way as drug shipments pour into their State. Believing the compensation worth it, things change when someone close becomes a victim. Celebrated doctor Preet Sahani (Kareena Kapoor), trying to help others, takes up a new cause far more dangerous than she imagines. Wanting to expose the monster ravaging Punjab’s society, success and best intent can sometimes have repercussions.
Next, my Mind:
Unflinchingly raw, visceral in its visual presentation, immersed in highly emotional performances, and simply, flat out undisguised, uninhibited, and unapologetic delivering its themes and characters, director/co-writer Abhishek Chaubey’s almost two and half hour ode to the sheer violence (emotional and physical) and drastically life-altering menace that is drugs certainly stands as one of the most vivid portrayals of the topic this reviewer has ever seen. With the gritty streets, back alleys, drug hide-outs, concert halls, and warehouses all on full, intentionally grainy display, these aspects along with the moral decay and tortured psyches of those caught up in the risks of “the life” truly assault the senses and keep you firmly wedged in your seat, which is actually the incredibly potent, undeniable wonder and well-written magic of this effort.
Shahid Kapoor turns in an award-worthy performance as the unstable, out-of-control rocker Tommy Singh, very much embodying the role physically with tattoos, long hair, and shredded figure, but also the impassioned, unrestrained, and extremely volatile emotions the character is facing whether in drug-fueled haze/rage or sobered clarity. Likewise, an additionally award-winning effort is brought about by a barely recognizable Alia Bhatt, whose innocent farm girl Mary Jane gets unintentionally, plus most certainly involuntarily, hurled into the nightmarish realm of drugs, addiction, and brokenness so realistically brutal, it’s makes one cringe for her plight and then some. Watching these two characters go through the hell they do, crossing paths, and then move forward from there is so overtly well acted and powerful.
Let’s not at all lessen the effort given by Dosanjh as Sartaj, bringing a very pragmatic, feasible air to a man whose initial sense of moral ambiguity is jarred into focused reality and radically altered sense of purpose when events change his whole outlook, or K. Kapoor whose idealistic doctor, Preet, would almost seem totally out of place if not for Kapoor’s ability to present her as someone looking for an answer to a problem not easily diffused or expunged in a way that is completely relatable and believable, thanks to Kapoor’s down-to-earth acting style. Viewers beware this is not a light-hearted film, with bouts of language, graphic violence, and generally harsh atmosphere to offer. Yet overall, “Udta Punjab” ends up providing a fundamentally redemptive message and tribute to those who daily fight the demon of drugs in modern Punjab.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
