Udta Punjab
2016 · Directed by Abhishek Chaubey
Original language: Hindi
- crime
- drama
The story
Drug abuse and the darker side of Punjab rear their heads in the intense, interwoven tales of a policeman, a doctor, a migrant worker, and a rockstar.
What it’s like
Gritty, sun-scorched Punjab rendered in dusty ochres, flat midday glare and the sickly green-gray of fluorescent clinics, with handheld camera work that stays close to faces and bodies rather than wide establishing shots. Nightclub sequences pulse with saturated strobe light and loud Punjabi pop and rock, then cut sharply to quiet, bare rooms where the sound drops to hum and breath. The rhythm is brisk and braided, shifting between interlinked strands that keep tightening toward a common point, with a restless, anxious momentum that rarely lets up. The tone is bleak and furious, close to sun-bleached unease, with moments of dark humour and a few pointed musical numbers that jolt rather than soothe. Violence is present and sometimes abrupt, with brutal beatings and drug-related harm shown in unflinching detail, and there are scenes of sexual coercion and cruelty that land heavily; nothing here is gentle. It suits viewers who want a hard-hitting, politically charged look at addiction and corruption, watched with full attention rather than as background.
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