Udta Punjab

 

A must watch for everyone.
Other than not having to wear another pair of glasses on top of my corrective, it was a pleasure to watch a Hindi film in months (my last being Neerja, which was fine; but before that Mastizaade and Wazir had MFed me). Look out and do read the Disclaimer for the little comedy this movie has to offer:
"Youth in Punjab is getting addicted to drugs like those of Delhi, Mumbai and Goa" and "Punjab is fighting a lone battle against Drugs."

All the actors: especially Alia Bhatt, have done a terrific job. Diljit Dosanjh's does a great job in his debut. You can see Sigourney Weaver's 'Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release' happening in front of your eyes. If you ignore the expletive-ridden, which you phase out eventually, the drama gets to you, the horrors shine through and the fact that amidst the Housefulls and Azhars, there are gems, makes you smile.

Urvashi pointed out that the editing was very great and smooth, I agreed with her. Particular scenes like when Mary Jane is high on drugs and is falling into a pool actively immersed the audience into the movie actually scared me: it was poetry on screen. The script is crisp and does not lag. When the storylines of the characters intersect, it seems both natural and dramatic.

When the movie blacked out on a cliffhanger, I was like 'Really? Seriously? But after a few credits, I was overjoyed to see a concrete conclusion.
I am sure GRRM was consulted for the ending.

My only peeve is regarding the English subtitles. I have greater affinity towards reading English than listening to Hindi, hence until I consciously blocked it out, I was getting constantly distracted. Also 'MLA' in Hindi(?) is not 'Member of Parliament' in English.

Bollywood has hope. Punjab needs to have it.