Abhishek Chaubey makes a winning change with Udta Punjab, a film about the rampant drug menace in the state of Punjab. Chaubey's portrayal of this region is horrifying, to say the least, presenting a world of terrible destruction and filth which is almost dystopian. Udta Punjab is an unusual film in this regard, it is real and authentic in execution, with lifelike dialogue which includes profanity hardly seen in mainstream Hindi films, and similarly lifelike sets. The film gets very disturbing at points, but at the same time the direction is good enough and balances the negativity.
The casting presents excellent performances, balancing between two pairs of actors, the first two fighting the drug system and the other two being its victims. While the film's two main leads, the hardly recognisable Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, are the central players here, they are actually more of character actors in this setting, and their stories are presented against the larger backdrop, where Diljit Dosanjh and Kareena Kapoor loosen the intensity with their positive characters who are in many ways the heroes of the film. It is actually a wonderful writing decision.
Shahid Kapoor is like one has never seen. His mannerisms and expressions and his entire attention to detail are really impressive. He does get a little too wide-eyed in his hysterical outbursts, but it's effective within the film's context, and his is a fantastic, convincing turn. It is Alia Bhatt, however, who dominates this film in a much smaller role which digs deep into the human soul. Aside from her mastery of the Bihari accent, she plays the film's most difficult scenes with unsettling, harrowing intensity. And her character remains incredibly optimistic all though. It is a heartbreaking performance.
Dosanjh is a great new find as Sartraj, and he is very convincing as the tough, no-nonsense but kindly levelheaded cop whose moral values are always intact. He has great presence, and his seemingly unlikely chemistry with Kareena is wonderfully built and developed throughout the story. Indeed, these two are responsible for the lighter part of the film, and the bonding their common, novel mission brings about is very touching. Credit should also go to Kareena, the lady star foregoing vanity to play a most regular character with minimal importance and doing it gracefully.
Udta Punjab will surely be accused of a biased, overly negative presentation of the state of Punjab, and not without a reason actually. Those unfamiliar with India might find themselves scared to visit this area of India. While Chaubey mitigates the film's horrors with nice music and other redeeming qualities, he does not do the same with the image of Punjab. At the end of it all, the film is still very watchable, mainly for the performances and the brutally honest portrayal of the destruction of drugs. In this regard, it is interesting and engaging even if not necessarily a fun watch.
The casting presents excellent performances, balancing between two pairs of actors, the first two fighting the drug system and the other two being its victims. While the film's two main leads, the hardly recognisable Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, are the central players here, they are actually more of character actors in this setting, and their stories are presented against the larger backdrop, where Diljit Dosanjh and Kareena Kapoor loosen the intensity with their positive characters who are in many ways the heroes of the film. It is actually a wonderful writing decision.
Shahid Kapoor is like one has never seen. His mannerisms and expressions and his entire attention to detail are really impressive. He does get a little too wide-eyed in his hysterical outbursts, but it's effective within the film's context, and his is a fantastic, convincing turn. It is Alia Bhatt, however, who dominates this film in a much smaller role which digs deep into the human soul. Aside from her mastery of the Bihari accent, she plays the film's most difficult scenes with unsettling, harrowing intensity. And her character remains incredibly optimistic all though. It is a heartbreaking performance.
Dosanjh is a great new find as Sartraj, and he is very convincing as the tough, no-nonsense but kindly levelheaded cop whose moral values are always intact. He has great presence, and his seemingly unlikely chemistry with Kareena is wonderfully built and developed throughout the story. Indeed, these two are responsible for the lighter part of the film, and the bonding their common, novel mission brings about is very touching. Credit should also go to Kareena, the lady star foregoing vanity to play a most regular character with minimal importance and doing it gracefully.
Udta Punjab will surely be accused of a biased, overly negative presentation of the state of Punjab, and not without a reason actually. Those unfamiliar with India might find themselves scared to visit this area of India. While Chaubey mitigates the film's horrors with nice music and other redeeming qualities, he does not do the same with the image of Punjab. At the end of it all, the film is still very watchable, mainly for the performances and the brutally honest portrayal of the destruction of drugs. In this regard, it is interesting and engaging even if not necessarily a fun watch.