Review : Udaan

Udaan

Director : Vikramaditya Motwane

Writers : Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap

Music : Amit Trivedi

Cast : Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, Aayan Boradia, Ram Kapoor

What goes for it : Controlled scripting, believable characters, top-notch direction.

What goes against the audience : Inception mania

Cinemaa Opinion : This is what Bollywood is capable of and we’re proud of it. Scroll down for a detailed review.

The flight of confidence

A simple story that might be true for thousands of households across the country; a controlled exercise in characterization and scripting; sincere and spontaneous performances and a treatment rich in symbolism combine to provide a cinematic experience that we’ve been crying out for longer than I care to remember. Needless to say, I’m jealous of the few friends who got an opportunity to watch this film much earlier than me, therefore being able to savour its bittersweet aura for that much more time.

Recent bollywood films of the coming of age genre have focused on protagonists from big cities like Bombay. Life in these megacities runs at breakneck speed, and films like Wake Up Sid mirror this aspect with a lot happening within a usual 2 hour duration of the film. In contrast, Udaan takes you to Jamshedpur, a small industrial town, a microcosm of the India that’s really forging forward. And it paces itself in accordance with the tranquil town that its based in. Though the slow pace doesn’t seem slow and the length doesn’t bother because of the detailed character arcs and deep insight into the mind of a teenager.

The film opens with a hilarious sequence of Rohan, the protagonist, going AWOL from his boarding school with 3 other friends, to catch an adult film. The 4 get caught and are expelled as a result. Rohan comes back home to his father, whom he hasn’t seen in 8 years. In these 8 years, his father has remarried and become a widower again, and Rohan now has Arjun, a 6 year old step-brother for company. And if that isn’t shocking enough, the father whose face Rohan had forgotten, unveils a new layer of his controlling and abusive nature at each and every juncture. The only relief around the agony and claustrophobia that Rohan faces is his benevolent uncle.

Rohan is forced to settle down into a tight routine by the ever controlling father. The depiction of this routine, which is otherwise despicable, is lightened up enough through its beautiful execution based on repetition. Watch out for the fine nuances like the younger brother getting in the elder’s face with an innocent “Disgraceful” while the elder one sprawls on the road after losing to the father in a grueling early morning cross country run that ends in a sprint.

His ambitions of becoming a writer are thwarted by his father, who forces him to work in his foundry and also study engineering simultaneously. His independence suddenly snatched away from him, Rohan starts rebelling. The rebellion is brilliantly charted out, starting with the staredowns and arguments that morph seamlessly into bigger acts to vent out his angst. This progression runs parallel to the increase in the father’s brutality and insensitivity. And simultaneously, a parallel bond grows between the two step-brothers, so reminiscent of Shekhar Kapoor’s Masoom, though the circumstances here are quite different.

As mentioned earlier, the utterly believable characters are what make Udaan so special. Rohan’s bottled angst and rebellious streak is brought out very effectively through the opening sequence where he’s cool as a cucumber while the other friends are scared like normal kids would be in those circumstances. His poems and the conversations he has with his school friends on the phone provide a lot of weight to his character. The masterstroke though, comes in Rohan’s father’s character. For without him, Udaan wouldn’t have been Udaan. He’s twice a widower, has a drinking problem and isn’t above corporal punishment, sometimes to the extremes. He doesn’t tolerate any interference in the way he wants to live his own life or the way he wants his sons to live theirs. But even he has those moments where his paternal instincts try to leap out of his abusive nature. And there’s enough light thrown on the reasons why he is the way he is. The uncle is compassionate and benign, though also non-confrontational to a fault.

The free-flowing symbolism makes the film an engaging watch. The way the uncle looks on while the father-son duo go about their cross-country; the poignant story telling sequence in the hospital and the scene where Rohan goes through his childhood photos are worth special mention in this regard. Symbolism is also used to magical effect in the depiction of violence. By implying the violence and showing as little as possible, the film becomes appropriate for all kinds of audiences, teenagers included. And that’s a true victory in these sensation seeking times. The symbolism reaches a crescendo in the climax, with everything, right from the car smashing scene to the father-son chase to the emancipation of Rohan, being a metaphorical treat.

Another winning aspect of Udaan is the extensive attention to detail. The small nuances of the opening sequence (I studied in a boarding school myself and have done the same thing many a times…this gave a sense of déjà-vu); the environment in a foundry (the deep respect for senior employees overriding any other hierarchy); the antics of rebellious young boys in small towns and several other such minute details make the film a rich experience.

The music by Amit Trivedi and lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya complement each other to great effect, thus bringing us one of the most memorable scores in recent times. Azaadiyan, Geet mein and the Udaan theme are delightful compositions. The background music too helps you soak in the mood of the film.

The film packs in quite a few delightful performances. Rajat Barmecha (Rohan) and Aayan Boradia (Arjun) debut with impressive results. TV stalwarts Ronit Roy (Rohan’s father) and Ram Kapoor (Rohan’s uncle) are commendable. Manjot Singh (Oye Lucky Lucky Oye fame) continues in the same element for a short cameo as Rohan’s schoolmate.

Udaan is a feather in the cap for Anurag Kashyap (Writer/Producer) and Vikramaditya Motwane (Writer/Director). Vikramaditya had scripted the path-breaking Dev D and Udaan reflects his confidence after the success of Dev D. To extend the symbolism of the title just a little more, Udaan is the flight of Vikramaditya’s confidence. It soars really high, higher than anything else this year. And our best wishes to him and the rest of the Udaan cast and crew for many more such beauties.