Spoiler alert! Please do not read the following plot summary if you have not seen the film.
What on earth can a rock star, a doctor, a migrant labourer and a cop possibly have in common? Punjab! Four lives with a common connection. The film takes the audience on a trip like never before. Tommy Singh (Shahid), Dr Preet Sahni (Kareena), Mary Jane (Alia ) and Sartaj Singh (Diljit) come from different walks of life, fighting the menace of drugs in their own way. The film journeys into the artificial highs and the real lows that they face while treading the paths fraught with mortal dangers. But above all, the story is about the famed Punjabi spirit, that despite being fully down, has the audacity of looking you in the eye and saying - Drugs di maa di!
The first track is that of Kumari Pinky(Alia) who actually dreamt of playing hockey for the country. However, her father dies and she is left to take care of herself. She ends up working in the fields of Punjab. One night, when she is using the jungle to take a dump, a packet lands near her. She realises that the packet has contraband after making some enquiries. She also realises that it is one crore worth of smack. So she decided to find a buyer. She tries to strike a deal with a young drug addict called Balli, who gives her the number of another drug pin.
However it so happens that when it is time to make the deal Balli doesn't show up. Without realising the dangerousness of her mission, the naive girl lands up attempting to make the deal. But when she realises that she has done wrong; she empties the contents of the packet into a well.
The drug pin who is chasing her alongwith some of his henchmen is livid with her. She is taken to a safe-house in Sultanpura where there is dog called Jackie Chan. The men in this house are irritated with Alia for destroying the powder. They make a prisoner of the house, drug her and rape her.
The second track belongs to Shahid Kapoor or Tommy Singh who is a sought-after Punjabi rockstar. However fame and drugs have gone to Tommy's head. Though all of Punjab thinks of him as their idol, Tommy the Gabru as he is called, is actually not such a great role model. He cannot function unless he is drugged out.
At one stage the addiction gets so bad, that Tommy's record deals start getting cancelled. His mama(Satish Kaushik) who manages his career is irritated with him. They try to get him off drugs. However he lands up in prison because the cops make him a soft target. After his prison-term, Tommy wants to clean up his act.
But without drugs inside him, he cannot sing. The public gets irritated with him when he tries to give them lectures asking them to all leave their addiction behind. A cleaned up Tommy who cannot sing is of no interest to anyone in Punjab. He is now called Fuddu (loser).
The third track in the film belongs to Sartaj (Diljit) who is a cop with no conscience. He doesn't mind taking drug money alongwith his seniors. One day Sartaj comes home and realises that his younger brother Balli is a drug addict. Balli overdoses and lands at a hospital where Doctor Preet(Kareena) treats him. Sartaj decides to keep Balli in the rehabilitation centre so that he cleans up his act.
He also wants to stop taking drug money. Of course his senior (Manav Vij) who is too deeply entrenched in the drug mafia refuses to let him go.
Dr Preet is the fourth angle. She has one one objective. To end the drug menace and to treat the addicts. She finds support in Sartaj, who because of the experience of his younger brother becomes her partner. Together they snoop and find out where the opium is coming from. They trace the pharmaceutical company in whose name the licences are made. They realise that a big local politician Maninder Brar is behind the biggest drug deals. Preet wants to expose the whole thing. However she dies when Balli who is trying to escape the rehabilitation centre kills her by mistake.
Sartaj is heartbroken. His cousin and senior Manav Vij is damn irritated with him for trying to take panga with the drug lords.
After weeks of captivity, where she has been drugged and raped, Alia manages to escape. She meets Tommy and the two develop a liking in their brief meeting. However Alia is captured once more and taken away. This time, Tommy goes looking for her. He reaches the safe-house.
At that juncture Sartaj shoots all the goondas and plans an escape for him and his younger brother Balli, who is hiding there after Kareena's murder. Simultaneously Shahid and Alia also escape by jumping a wall.
The film ends with Tommy and Mary Jane (Alia's assumed name) in Goa. Goa has been Alia's dream destination because she has constantly been looking at a huge hoarding from a window when she was a prisoner and longed to go to this beach destination.
She is happy because she is in Goa with Tommy, who loves her.
TRIVIA
1. By the afternoon of June 15, the film’s censor copy had been leaked online. The producers felt it got leaked through the CBFC office, while Chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani asked them to name the suspect. The producers also registered a complaint with the Cyber Crime Cell.
2. The producers got the censor certificate on June 15 evening, when they reportedly threatened Censor Board that they would approach the High Court if the certificate was not given to them as ordered by the honourable court on June 13.
3. Less than two weeks before the release, the producers approached Bombay High Court against the cuts recommended by the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification), which was also not giving them the letter to appeal in FCAT (Film Certification Appellate Tribunal). On June 13, the High Court passed the film with an ‘A’ rating, and asked only for the scene of Shahid urinating at the audience to be cut and three disclaimers to be inserted.
4. While the Examining Committee recommended 40 cuts, the Revising Committee asked for 89 cuts. Reports that ‘Punjab’ was being asked to remove from the title created further uproar.
5. The last time Kareena played a doctor was in 3 Idiots.
6. Kareena, Alia and Diljit ‘happened’ to be cast in the film. In an interview to Bombay Times, Shahid said he’s glad they came on board. This is Punjabi superstar Diljit’s Bollywood debut.
7. Though Shahid used to smoke earlier, he has never tried alcohol or drugs. During the shoot, he’d drink a dozen cups of coffee every day to get that ‘high’.
8. Mira has saved Shahid’s number on her mobile as ‘Tommy’. So every time he calls, it shows ‘Tommy calling…’
9. Shahid went to meet Mira Rajput while he was working on his look for this film. When he told him that the character is called Tommy, she retorted that it’s a dog’s name. She was shocked when he revealed to her that he might colour his hair. She warned him to not colour his hair red and made him promise that he’d sport normal coloured hair at their wedding.
10. Shahid’s look for Tommy is said to be inspired by David Spade from the Hollywood film, Joe Dirt.
Wish reformation was as deep n profound as @shahidkapoor .. ! Younger generation needs to c outcome of the drugs nexus #UdtaPunjab n learn !
— monisha prasad (@monishaprasad) June 19, 2016
#UdtaPunjab: kinni der karditi aanvich! One of the best movies I've seen in a long long time!@shahidkapoor u are #fabulous! #Mustwatch!
— Nidhi Puri (@nidhi_puri) June 19, 2016
Hysterical @shahidkapoor,Bleeding @aliaa08, corrupt #PunjabPolice,Crony Politician,Drug addictYouth,TruthSeeker @KareenaOnline #UdtaPunjab
— Ravi Srivastava (@ravi4354) June 19, 2016
Saw #UdtaPunjab . Nothing tat reqd such hullabaloo 2b raised. Really sad tat THE most muscular of all r States has come 2this. Worth a watch
— Manmohan Bahadur (@BahadurManmohan) June 19, 2016
Saw #UdtaPunjab I think it's @aliaa08 most difficult role in her career.. And obviously @shahidkapoor is awesome ...
— Md Momitul Middya (@mdmomitul) June 19, 2016
After a really loooong time, a brilliant bollywood movie with a proper genuine story and praise worthy performances! #UdtaPunjab
— Vidhi Surana (@VidhiSurana) June 19, 2016
Just saw #UdtaPunjab. Enjoyed very much. Thank you Mumbai HC for taking away those scissors from CBFC...
— Nitesh Jaiswal (NJ) (@iamniteshj) June 19, 2016
- What is the release date of 'Udta Punjab'?
Release date of Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer 'Udta Punjab' is 2016-06-17. - Who are the actors in 'Udta Punjab'?
'Udta Punjab' star cast includes Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Diljit Dosanjh and Alia Bhatt. - Who is the director of 'Udta Punjab'?
'Udta Punjab' is directed by Abhishek Chaubey. - What is Genre of 'Udta Punjab'?
'Udta Punjab' belongs to 'Action, Drama, Thriller, Crime' genre. - In Which Languages is 'Udta Punjab' releasing?
'Udta Punjab' is releasing in Hindi.