Udta Punjab

Director: Abhishek Chaubey

Writers: Supid Sharma, Abhishek Chaubey

Stars: Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh, Satish Kaushik

Strength:  Story, Acting, Soundtrack

Weakness: Not suitable for children

Runtime: 148 mins

Rating: 4.5/5

Plot: With the major adolescents tripping away into oblivion, the celebrated land of Punjab is stricken down deep with the drug menace without hope for salvation. 

Review: The movie revolves around drug abuse in the affluent north Indian State of Punjab and how the youth have surrendered themselves to the vice grip of drug abuse as a whole resulting in a socio-economic decline.

The movie has stirred a horde of controversies prior to its release. This is mainly due to the movie's controversial nature and profane language. But the subsequent reaction of audiences after its release has been exactly what it should have been: dumbfounded by a dark, gritted story of drug-afflicted Punjab where the youth are its only ray of hope for eradication. 

Tommy Singh, is a fading musician, addicted to drugs and has been cussing throughout his career is brilliantly portrayed by Shahid Kapoor who has lived up to the hype of the film by showcasing his acting prowess and portrayal of character, performing one of his best in this film. The show stopper of this film is undoubtedly Alia Bhatt, who delivers one of her best performances of all time and getting everything right, from the accent to the body language.

Another thing that this movie succeeds in pulling off is music. They have been placed properly, adding perspective to moments and paced along the movie really well. 

The movie works mainly because of its harmonious blend of wit and humour with the unorthodox storyline. A topic so serious is brilliantly narrated by director Abhishek Chaubey, transporting the audiences to the land of drugs through paradoxes. One does not need a reason to watch Udta Punjab; a brilliant cast with impeccable acting and fluid narration makes this film one of the best in this year.

By Syed Ahnaf Sadeed