Udaan

kahani khatm hai
ya shuruat hone ko hai
subah nayi hai ye
ya phir raat hone ko hai
aanewala waqt
denge panahein
ya phir se milenge dorahein
khabar kya
kya pata....

Yet another coming of age story? That's what I asked myself when I learnt about this movie called Udaan making waves at the Cannes. As Anurag Kashyap was backing it - he even said that he wished that he had himself come up with this project on his own in the first place - I had to watch it in the very first weekend of its much awaited release here.

I came out of the screening completely overwhelmed. I was absolutely moved by the storytelling, the performances, the visuals, the music simply mesmerised me.

As the film opens we are gripped by Rohan's character and his discomfort. He is the trapped teenager. Battling odds. Of all kinds. He gets chucked out of the high profile boarding school where his disciplinarian dad with an 'I care a damn' air had conveniently had him relegated. Rohan has to come home now, but the saddest part is that neither his home is what it is meant to be, nor his dad make it easy for him to grapple with his self-discovery. Rohan finds a release in the brilliant poems that he composes, and in carving himself out stealthily from the predetermined choking routine of a life. Rohan soon learns that not only has he to actualise his creative aspirations that are obviously threatened opposition and obstacles, but a rebellion against his emotionally blunt, bully of a father is also the toughest to put up undauntedly. The small town milieu of Jamshedpur, the steel town is breathed to life as brilliantly as the flesh and blood characters. Rohan warms up to his much younger step brother, Arjun, and he finally grows up when he feels responsible for Arjun who is in an even more vulnerable state than him.

Debutant director Vikramaditya Motwane, who has penned the screenplay of the film with help from Anurag Kashyap himself, has done a marvellous job.
The edgy feel is bound to get the viewer thoroughly hooked.
Anurag Kashyap deserves a special pat for having produced this little cinematic gem.
The depiction is magical thanks to a wonderful cast and crew. The editing is crisp, the music has a freshness and a sublime feel to it. The camerawork by Mahendra Shetty is exceptionally fluid.

The film, I am sure, will be talked about for many, many years.... by viewers - young and old.

Credits:
The cast includes:
Rajat Barmecha (Rohan), Ronit Roy (Rohan's dad), Ram Kapoor (Rohan's uncle), Aayan Boradia (Arjun), along with Manjot Singh, Anand Tiwari, Raja Hudda, Varun Khettry, Sumant Mastkar, Akshay Sachdev, and Shaunak Sengupta.

Written by: Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap
Cinematography: Mahendra Shetty
Music: Amit Trivedi
Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya
Editing: Dipika Kalra
Production design: Aditya Kanwar
Associate producer: Vikas Bahl
Co-producers: Aarti Bajaj,
Siddharth Roy Kapur,
Deven Khote ,
Zarina Mehta ,
Ronnie Screwvala ,
and Sanjay Singh
Executive producer: Dipa Motwane

Let Udaan (means Flight in Hindi) help us all fly without wings.... let us all take flights of creativity,
let our films be realistic,
let them speak of our real fantasies.... and of brave fights in support of our braver pursuits.
And that applies as much to the protagonists, as the makers.