Udaan

                        

turns out to be a refreshing breather amongst the numerous awful Hindi movies released this year. A must watch for anyone and everyone who has ever dared to dream… The movie brings on the plate a variety of emotions like love, hatred, disappointment, hope and rage in a delicate yet powerful way!

Udaan begins with Rohan and this three friends getting caught watching a b-grade film at a local theatre in Shimla. They end up being expelled from the boarding school. The movie then traces Rohan’s life as he suffocates and struggles but finally breaks free from his brutal and autocratic father.

Rohan’s father, who owns a small factory in Jamshedpur, wants Rohan to study engineering and work in the factory. He has his own set of rules and ideologies. He bullies Rohan to follow them. Rohan in contrast is a creative teenager, who aspires to be a writer. Other major characters include Rohan’s cute little step brother Arjun, his empathetic uncle and his friends at Shimla and Jamshedpur.

The story is simple, at times a bit slow and repetitive. So is the cinematography. Yet, Udaan never loses its charm!

The cast has delivered a stellar performance and one can easily relate to at least a few of the characters or scenes in the movie. Scenes like the one where Rohan’s father burns his writings are stirring and disturbing. Then there are other dramatic scenes, like the last one, where Rohan rebels and successfully frees himself and his younger brother from his father. Apt and Subtle humor is effectively used throughout the movie. The music is fresh and soothing with fine lyrics.

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Et cetera…

Although the intensity of the movie had not yet sunk into the intellect, we all couldn’t help but burst out laughing even as we desperately searched for a loo at the City Centre, Chennai. Fighting with odds like long queues, renovation work and shop closing times, we managed to get into a restroom after almost 20 mins and relieved ourselves. This was followed by a satisfying meal. Then, a few rounds of singing old hindi songs loudly in the auto-rickshaw and the campus. “Super!” exclaimed the auto driver anna. Indeed, it was a super evening.. One that I will remember for many good reasons :)

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Movies have immensely helped me kill time in these past few lazy weeks, or rather months. I’ll always be indebted to them. Here’s how I rate the movies I’ve seen this summer..

The Good: Toy Story 3, How to train your dragon, Harishchandrachi Factory(Marathi), Udaan

The not so Bad: Date night, A-Team, Knight and Day, The City of Gold, Remember me, Prince of Persia

The Bad: Kites, Ravan, Rajneeti, Haapus (Marathi), Badmaash Company, Houseful, I hate luv storys

The Ugly: Paathshaala

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Next movie: Inception