Entertainment
Udta Punjab (transl. Flying Punjab) is a 2016 Indian crime drama film written and directed by Abhishek Chaubey, co-written by Sudip Sharma, and produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Sameer Nair and Aman Gill under Balaji Motion Pictures in association with Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl and Vikramaditya Motwane under Phantom Films. Loosely based on and revolving around the drug abuse by the youth population in the Indian state of Punjab and the various conspiracies surrounding it, the film stars Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh.
On 4 June 2016, the Central Board of Film Certification, India sought a stay on the film’s release citing that the themes dealt with in the film were too vulgar for the general audience. As a result, the producers were directed to make a total of 89 cuts in the film. However, on 13 June 2016, the Bombay High Court struck down the stay and gave permission for the film’s national release, albeit with a single cut in the screenplay.The film was released worldwide on 17 June 2016. Made on a budget of ₹340 million (US$4.3 million), Udta Punjab was a commercial success and earned approximately ₹960 million (US$12 million) worldwide.It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its direction, story, screenplay, music and performances of the cast.
At the 62nd Filmfare Awards, Udta Punjab received a leading 9 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Chaubey), Best Actor (Shahid Kapoor), Best Supporting Actress (Kareena Kapoor) and Best Supporting Actor (Dosanjh), and won 4 awards including Best Actress (Bhatt) and Best Actor (Critics) (Shahid Kapoor).
Plot
Three Pakistani youth throw packets of drugs across the border to India for it to be picked up later. Tejinder “Tommy” Singh, better known as “Gabru” among his fans, is a young and successful Punjabi musician who lives a luxurious lifestyle. Together with an ostentatious crew led by Tayaji and cousin Jassi, he routinely indulges in cocaine consumption. Tommy is popular for his energetic songs with lyrics that often glorify violence and drug addiction. However, his addiction costs him his music contract and lands him in jail. While in prison, he meets two of his die-hard fans who remark how Tommy’s lifestyle had ‘inspired’ theirs, leading them to murder their own mother for drug money. Realizing that his songs have negatively affected teenagers, Tommy decides to change his ways upon release. A few days later, he engages in an altercation and inadvertently shoots Tayaji, injuring his ear. This causes Tayaji to send Tommy and his crew away to a farmhouse so that he can prepare for an upcoming concert.
Working on the farm is a migrant worker from Bihar nicknamed Bauria, whose dreams of playing national-level hockey for the country were shattered due to her father’s death, pushing her to Punjab to work as a laborer. She works for a local landlord who uses agriculture as a front for drug-peddling. One night, she finds a suspicious packet on the farm and realizes that it is some kind of a drug. She resolves to sell it but her search for a potential buyer lands her in trouble as she unwittingly contacts the original owners of the heroin. She is captured by the gang of drug peddlers but not before she discards it into a well. As a compensation for their lost drugs, the peddlers forcibly keep her at their house, where she is sexually and physically abused, given drugs, and pimped to men. Some weeks later, she manages to escape.
Over in the neighboring town lives Preet Sahni, a doctor and activist who runs a rehabilitation center. Sartaj Singh is a junior policeman who knows about the drug smuggling his seniors are allowing on a large scale. But when it affects his family, as his brother, Balli, overdoses and is brought to Preet’s clinic, he realizes the grave situation. Preet and Sartaj decide to find the root cause of the problem together. Balli is admitted into her drug rehabilitation centre against his will.
At his concert, instead of singing, Tommy starts preaching. Infuriated by his speech about how one should lead one’s life, his fans start throwing bottles at him. The angered Tommy urinates in front of the crowd before fleeing. He hides in an old structure and meets Bauria, also hiding. The two share their stories and bond. However, Bauria is recaptured by the same gang when she defends Tommy from being attacked by them. He learns the next day that an arrest warrant has been issued for him because of the public ruckus at the concert, and sets out to find Bauria after realising his feelings for her.
Preet and Sartaj find that the driving force behind the drug problem in Punjab is an elderly man called Virender Singh, who has flourished with the support of his father-in-law, MP Maninder Brar. The two go to extreme measures to collect evidence against the politician and put together a report to be sent to the state’s Election Commission to thwart Brar’s campaign for another term in power. Sartaj and Preet fall in love; however, one night, Preet sees a manic Balli trying to escape from her rehab center. On trying to stop him, she is accidentally stabbed in the neck by him. As Balli is Sartaj’s brother, senior officer Jhujar Singh who investigates the homicide decides to send him underground. While falsifying the crime scene he comes across the report made by her and Sartaj, and is infuriated when he sees that he too has been named in the drug racket. He calls Sartaj and knocks him out when he arrives.
Waking up in the presence of the local drug mafia at their farmhouse, where Bauria is also confined, a bruised and beaten Sartaj is questioned by Jhujar, who is a key member in the drug racket. Sartaj says whatever he did was for the sake of Punjab. At the same time, Tommy enters the house, armed with a hockey stick. Taking advantage of the distraction, Sartaj grabs Jhujar’s gun and shoots the whole gang before freeing Balli. Tommy helps Bauria escape from her captors. Balli kneels and cries in front of his brother, whose face is expressionless.
Eventually, it is shown that the government issued an inquiry into Brar’s activities and there has been a huge crackdown on the drug menace. Over in Goa, amidst his crew members, Tommy calls Bauria to ask for her real name. Sitting by the beach, she catches sight of a foreigner having fun. Inspired, she says “Mary Jane”, to which Tommy flirtatiously replies that she is his “life”, and she ends the call before going for a swim.
Cast
- Shahid Kapoor as Tejinder “Tommy” Singh a.k.a. Gabru
- Alia Bhatt as Bauria a.k.a. Mary Jane.
- Kareena Kapoor as Dr. Preet Sahni
- Diljit Dosanjh as ASI Sartaj Singh
- Satish Kaushik as Tayaji, Jassi’s father
- Suhail Nayyar as Jassi, Tayaji’s son and Tommy’s cousin
- Prabhjyot Singh as Balli Singh
- Jaswinder Kaur as Sartaj’s mother
- Manav Vij as Jhujar Singh, Sartaj’s senior officer
- Mahabir Bhullar as Veerji
- Ishaan Khatter in a cameo appearance
Track listing
All music is composed by Amit Trivedi.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Chitta Ve” | Shellee | Babu Haabi, Shahid Mallya, Bhanu Pratap Singh | 4:48 |
| 2. | “Da Da Dasse” | Shellee | Kanika Kapoor, Babu Haabi | 4:01 |
| 3. | “Ikk Kudi” | Shiv Kumar Batalvi | Shahid Mallya | 4:02 |
| 4. | “Ud-Daa Punjab” | Varun Grover | Amit Trivedi, Vishal Dadlani | 4:35 |
| 5. | “Hass Nach Le” | Shellee | Shahid Mallya | 4:30 |
| 6. | “Vadiya” | Shellee | Amit Trivedi | 4:29 |
| 7. | “Ikk Kudi” (Reprised Version) | Shiv Kumar Batalvi | Diljit Dosanjh | 4:07 |
| 8. | “Ikk Kudi” (Club Mix) | Shiv Kumar Batalvi | Alia Bhatt, Diljit Dosanjh | 4:14 |
| 9. | “Ikk Kudi” (Asees Kaur Version) | Shiv Kumar Batalvi | Asees Kaur | 4:07 |
