| Udaan | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster |
|
| Directed by | Vikramaditya Motwane |
| Produced by | Sanjay Singh Anurag Kashyap Ronnie Screwvala |
| Written by | Vikramaditya Motwane Anurag Kashyap |
| Starring | Rajat Barmecha Ronit Roy Aayan Boradia Ram Kapoor Manjot Singh Anand Tiwari Sumant Mastkar Raja Hudda Varun Khettry Akshay Sachdev |
| Music by | Amit Trivedi |
| Cinematography | Mahendra J. Shetty |
| Editing by | Dipika Kalra |
| Release date(s) | July 16, 2010 |
| Running time | 138 Minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Udaan (Hindi: उड़ान, English: Flight) is a 2010 Hindi film produced by Sanjay Singh, Anurag Kashyap, and Ronnie Screwvala; and directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. The film was officially selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard (A Certain Glance) category at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.[1][2][3]
Contents |
17-year-old Rohan is expelled from the reputed Bishop Cotton School, Shimla boarding school along with three friends Vikram, Benoy and Maninder when they are caught by their warden watching an adult movie off campus .
Rohan returns home to Jamshedpur to a stern and abusive father and a 6-year-old half-brother, Arjun (who he didn't even know, existed), not knowing what's in store for him. His father forces him to attend engineering classes at the local university and work at his metal works factory. His father's disappointment takes the form of verbal and physical abuse and constant humiliation. His kind uncle supports Rohan's ambition of being a writer, but his father will have none of it. One night he sneaks out of the house, takes his father's car and goes to a local bar. There he meets some seniors from his college who try to rag him but later become his friends. Then he does this regularly, taking his father's car and drinking at the bar.
An uninterested Rohan deliberately fails the exam so that his father will give up on him, leaving him free to pursue his dream of becoming a writer. At exactly the same time, his father is summoned immediately to school to take Arjun away because of something he has done. This causes his father to lose an important contract. Rohan comes home to a scene where Arjun is being rushed to the hospital for some unknown reason. His father says that Arjun fell down the stairs. Fearful of complicating matters, Rohan lies to his father and says that he passed his exams. His father then goes to Calcutta on an urgent business trip leaving Rohan to take care of Arjun in the hospital.
In the hospital, Rohan impresses a lot of people including doctors and nurses with his stories and poems. He finds out that Arjun was beaten by his father after losing a contract worth millions of rupees. While he befriends Arjun he gets to know that Arjun had a fight with his schoolmate and had hurt a couple of them. Then his father comes back from Calcutta and finds out he has failed the exams. He has a fight with his father and is assaulted by him in the night and next day his father apologies to him. A somewhat hopeful Rohan feels that maybe his father has realized the error of his ways. His father then stuns Rohan by declaring that he is going to marry again and decides to send Arjun to a boarding school while Rohan is supposed to work full-time at the factory. His father has a fight with his uncle and calls him a 'loser' when his uncle desires to keep Arjun with him. Rohan pleads with his uncle to take him away. Furious about this, his father burns Rohan's diary where he has written all his poems. Rohan calls Maninder who tells him that he, Vikram and Benoy are now working at Vikram's restaurant in Mumbai and Maninder invites him too.
One day, Rohan takes all his frustration out on his father's car and some policemen happen to see him in the act. He spends a night in prison after his father knows about the car and leaves him there. When he goes home, his to-be stepmother and her relatives are there. He takes a bath, packs his things to leave home. As a dejected Arjun watches him sadly, Rohan asks him when he will be leaving for boarding school. Arjun says he would be leaving the next day. Rohan simply wishes him luck and prepares to leave. On his way out, Rohan exchanges some words with his father,causing his to-be-stepmother to realise what his fathers real nature is(saying that now there will be someone to share the beating his father gives Arjun), and when confronted, punches his father and runs away. He spends the night in his uncle's house and the next morning he suddenly realizes that he cannot leave his brother at the mercy of the same circumstances that he left. He goes to his home and takes Arjun with him to Mumbai leaving a note behind warning his father to stay away from them. The movie ends with Rohan and Arjun walking away holding hands.
The film received positive reviews from critics upon release. Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "a simple, straight-forward film that doesn't need to be explained. It needs to be experienced."[4] Gaurav Malani of IndiaTimes rated it 4/5 "In an industry known to indulge in larger-than-life ‘flights of fantasy’, Udaan is one of those intermittent ‘coming of age’ films from Bollywood. Do not miss!".[5] Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India rated it 4/5 "Udaan is unconventional Bollywood at its biting best. The film is a moody, introspective and ekdum different look at teenage angst" [6] Pankaj Sabnani of Glamsham.com rated it 3.5/5 and stated that "The best part about Udaan is its simple yet heartrending & relatable story... Udaan surely passes with flying colours. It will linger on your mind for a long time to come." [7] Vinayak Chakravorty of Mail Today gave it four stars, saying: "The film documents subtly the great smalltown Indian dream that defines engineering as the only yardstick of success for boys." Mayank Shekhar of Hindustan Times rated Udaan 3.5/4 and of the view that "This is that rare, superior latter: a bleak beauty, a commendable debut." [8] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave it 4/5 and stated that it is"intuitively written and lovingly crafted, Udaan is packed with moments that will resonate with every viewer because they mirror real experiences." [9] Kaveere Bamzai of India Today rated it 4/5 and described it as "an extraordinary story told without veering into the maudlin. It's a tightly controlled drama without any melodrama." [10] Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph rated it 7.4/10 and calling it a "must watch".[11] Vivek Bhatia of Filmfare.com rated it as 3/5 and elaborated that "the strength of Udaan lies in its story telling, which is very real. As are the setting and the overall ambience." [12] According to film critic Subhash K. Jha, Udaan "gives us some great moments of cinema , done in shades that leave the camera lens far behind to romance the very core of middleclass life..." [13] Gaurav Malani of Economic Times rated it 4/5 and described it as a film which should not be missed and told that "Udaan is one of those intermittent ‘coming of age’ films from Bollywood, which is usually known to indulge in larger-than-life ‘flights of fantasy’".[14] As of September 2010, the film has a 8.5/10 rating on IMDb. Amitabh Bachchan wrote on his blog : "I found that the film deserved the accolades it was getting. Vikramaditya Motwane, a school mate of Abhishek has directed this film. A young man who had come some years ago to me with a marvelous script, has directed this venture of his with the maturity that one does not expect to see from one on his debut venture"
The film was released in the India on July 16, grossing 3.2 crores INR in theatres.[15]
The music for Udaan is composed by Amit Trivedi and includes 7 tracks. The lyrics have been done by Amitabh Bhattacharya and Anurag Kashyap.[16] The film's music got overwhelming response from the critics. Amit Trivedi's rock & grunge style was highly appreciated whereas Anurag Kashyap's lyrical debut "Motumaster"'s lyrics had got good response. Amitabh Bhattacharya's lyrics in the other tracks were called "a classy act".
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kahaani Ankhon Ke Pardon Pe" | Amitabh Bhattacharya | Joi Barua, Neuman Pinto | 3:31 |
| 2. | "Geet Mein Dhalte Lafzon Mein" | Amitabh Bhattacharya | Amit Trivedi, Amitabh Bhattacharya | 4:59 |
| 3. | "Udaan" | Amitabh Bhattacharya | Amit Trivedi | 5:03 |
| 4. | "Naav Chadhti Lehrein Laang Na Paye" | Amitabh Bhattacharya | Mohan | 4:15 |
| 5. | "Motumaster Iski Maa Agar Isse" | Anurag Kashyap | Raman Mahadevan, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Bonnie Chakraborty, Kshitij Wagh, Sriram Iyer, Tochi Raina, Amit Trivedi, Anurag Kashyap | 5:19 |
| 6. | "Aazaadiyan Pairon Ki Bediyan" | Amitabh Bhattacharya | Amit Trivedi, Neuman Pinto, Amitabh Bhattacharya | 5:40 |
| 7. | "Udaan Theme" (Instrumental) | 2:47 |
The film was officially selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard (A Certain Glance) category at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.[1][2][3] Udaan was first Indian film to be part of Cannes' official section in seven years.[17] Udaan got screened in 40th Giffoni Film Festival for children's films in Italy[18] bagging Audience Choice Award along with the trophy for Best Music Score.[17] It has also been adjudicated as the Best Film and Motwane as the Best Director at the 17th Annual Star Screen Awards. Udaan won Best Narrative Feature at the Indian Film Festival in Los Angeles in April 2011.[19]
Udaan won 7 awards at the 56th Filmfare Awards, more than any other film that year.
| Category | Winner's Name |
|---|---|
| Best Supporting Actor (Male) | Ronit Roy |
| Best Film (Critics) | Vikramaditya Motwane and Sanjay Singh |
| Best Screenplay | Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane |
| Best Story | Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane |
| Best Background Music | Amit Trivedi |
| Best Cinematography | Mahendra Shetty |
| Best Sound Design Award | Kunal Sharma (shared with Pritam Das - 'Love Sex aur Dhokha') [20] |
| Category | Winner's Name |
|---|---|
| Best Film | Anurag Kashyap (Producer) |
| Best Director | Vikramaditya Motwane - Udaan |
| Best Actor in a Negative Role | Ronit Roy - Udaan |
| Best Child Artiste | Ayaan Barodia - Udaan[21][22] |
|
||||||||||||||