By Meghana Pawar - Jun 17, 2016 09:28 PM

Rating: 3/5

One line Review: Exceptional performances by the leads, realistic setting, strong plot and adept narration.

Positive Points: The dexterous depiction of the brutal realities of the drug scenario and substance abuse in the state of Punjab. The dark plot keeps you hooked throughout the movie. Stupendous performance by all the lead actors makes everything believable.

Negative Points: The second half goes a little sluggish, deteriorating the impact of the first half.

Plot: The film narrates the live stories of four distinct personalities. Tommy Singh (Shahid Kapoor) is a rockstar singer who is heavily drowned in drugs and is a bad influence on the youth of Punjab. Alia Bhatt is a Bihari immigrant who works as a farm labourer and unintentionally gets caught by local drug dealers who turn her into an addict. Alia’s part is the most disheartening one, where the young girl who dreams of becoming a hockey player and, gets trapped in drug and physical abuse.

Sartaj (Diljit Dosanjh) is a Police Officer from the narcotics department who under the influence of his corrupt senior indulge in drug malpractices. But, his consciousness dawns when learns about his younger brother’s drug addiction. He then decides to fight the war against drug with the help of Dr. Preet (Kareena Kapoor). Dr. Preet works day in and day out to make her state drug free and runs a rehabilitation centre for the addicts.

The story revolves around these four lives while depicting the brutal and cruel reality of the drug scenario and abuse.

Direction and other Technical Aspects: Praiseworthy direction by Abhishek Chaubey. The real picture of the deadly scenario is captured exceptionally in the film. It is a brave attempt on the part of the makers to present the situation before public. There are a lot of cuss words, abuse and violence which is extremely stressful to watch. The first half of the movie is gripping while the second half is a bit dragged and sluggish.

Performances: Shahid Kapoor as a fading rockstar Tommy Singh, a drug addict, shines in his performance. He manages to pull off the role of an addict quite well in majority of the sequences, while in some, he goes a bit overboard.

Alia Bhatt renders a commendable performance. She carries her Bihari accent very well and does complete justice to her part.

Kareena Kapoor essays the role of a doctor and a social worker. Her character requires her to be a well learned and composed lady who has a willingness to change the drug abuse scenario. She manages to do a fair justice to her role.

Diljit Dosanjh makes his debut in Bollywood through this film. He perfectly fits the bill and essays the role of a cop aptly.

Music: The dark tale has a few decent songs and passable background score. The title track ‘Udta Punjab’ is catchy.

Final Verdict: The plot and the setting of the Udta Punjab make you aware about the brutal realities of our society and it’s extremely saddening and disturbing to watch what is happening around. It is a very brave attempt on part of the makers. For the overall presentation, the film earns 3 stars.