UdtaPunjab : It Soars High , Very High

#UdtaPunjab: There are many telling scenes in UdtaPunjab , starting from the opening one. But it is the last one which is the most poignant. The nameless hockey player from Bihar who had come to the land of five rivers with a hope to earn her livelihood as a migrant worker and accidentally gets entangled in a world of drug and inhuman torture finds her redemption and rechristens  herself as Mary Jane ! All through that excruciating journey she had never abandoned hope or her zest for a life beyond .Her soul soars as high as Alia’s brilliant and brave performance. If Highway established her as an actress with substance, UdtaPunjab is a testimony of her ability to drive at a neck brake speed and yet maintain a fine balance on that very thoroughfare.

A Gabbru popstar , who lived on ‘ substance’ and whose lyrics were constrained  just about “cock and coke” realises how substance less his existence has been when he comes across teenage youngsters who idolize him  and his drug habits . One in fact had killed his mother, when she denied him money to buy drugs. The transformation from Gabrru to Fuddu is an arduous one. Yet the journey is essential. And Shahid Kapoor once again gives an absolutely stunning performance playing a character that is eccentric and nuanced. If you thought he couldn’t better his Haider heroics, watch him as Tommy Singh, this boy for sure knows how to embrace lunacy, the lunacy for playing out complex characters.

And then there is a doctor who runs a drug de-addiction centre, comes across a policeman who was making his hafta from the drug chain , till his own brother got almost killed due to drug overdose. They are on a mission to wipe out the drug cartel. Daljit Dosanjh making his debut in hindi film does a terrific job of adding authenticity to the role of Sartaj Singh .

A land we romanticised for its mustard fields, since the release of DDLJ in 1995, has been replaced by field full of poppy seeds. A generation is growing up on Bhukki ( Poppy Husk). More than 60% population of the state is addicted to some form of drugs and cinema being a reflection of society can’t be a mute spectator to this degeneration. Director Abhishek Chaubey and writer Sudip Sharma (who wrote the fabulous NH10) bring individual narratives to drive home a strong message. The style is fictional and the narrative is factual. They move their characters beautifully. And just when the plot gets bit slow with the track between Kareena and Daljit , Chaubey uses music to take the narrative ahead. “ Ek Kudi Jida Naam Mohobatt Gumm Hai” written by the famous poet Late Shiv Kumar Batalvi and composed by Amit trivedi is evocative and metaphorical. And like his last film Desh Ishqiya , Udta Punjab too has a Tarantino touch !

Udta Punjab, at places, is not an easy film to watch. But then reality can’t be served as candy floss.  It holds you by your neck and brings you face to face with a problem that must be accepted, confronted with and addressed, TODAY. I will go out with 4 out of 5, it really soars high, very very high!

TE3N

Set in Sujoy Ghosh’s Kolkata TE3N is a reflection of the city , its languid pace , its myriad mood , its fixation on hanging on to the past and its determination to stand up for justice . In an age where Whodunit are quick paced and sleek, TE3N, which is based on South Korean film Montage, surprisingly takes you back to the world of Ray’s Feluda . Eight years is not enough for John Biswas to let go the memories of her granddaughter Angela, who was kidnapped and then subsequently got killed. Every single day he visits the police station to seek justice. His eyes may be anguish laden, but time has not withered his determination to seek the truth.  Nawazuddin’s conversion from Inspector Martin to Father Martin on the other hand is to escape from the truth. The transition has happened, but not the transformation. Deep inside both realise it is truth that will bring them peace.

The film’s narrative oscillates between past and present making it edgy. Considerable time and effort has been given to build the story.  The setting, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Bada Imambara, the Ganges, Immersion of Durga Idol, the lanes of Kolkata and an old scooter add layer to the narrative and help in building tension. Amitabh Bachchan gives a fabulous performance. He makes John Biswas’s pain so palpable, his haplessness so conspicuous and his determination so blatant. That long face, that open mouth, that hunched walk, those determined eyes, he doesn’t play the character , he becomes the character. Nawazuddin playing the role of a Cop turned Father with Cop- Instincts is at par. But we have seen Nawaz in much better form.Vidya Balan , whose part surprisingly has been mentioned as a cameo, plays a full fledged role. How I wish her character has been written with a bit more fineness and nuances. The music keeps pace with the mood.

However where TE3N misses out is the twists, so essential for a crime thriller. Fifty minutes into the film you would have guessed the whodunit. And that makes the wait for climax so boring and predictable. Ribhu Dasgupta who had earlier directed Amitabh Bachhan in TV series Yudh makes the same mistake once again of not letting his story move. And that is where the film suffers post interval.

TE3N is much like that old, rickety scooter that Mr Biswas rides. It stop- starts quite frequently. A new spark plug and few kicks would have made it such an enjoyable ride. I will go out with 2.5 out of 5. If not anything else, go and watch it just for that Man, the superstar of the Millennium! He for sure doesn’t need “TEEN” to lift a film .