Udaan (2010)

Expelled from his school, a 16-year old boy returns home to his abusive and oppressive father.

Director:

Vikramaditya Motwane

Writers:

Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap,

Stars:

Rajat Barmecha, Sanjay Gandhi, Ronit Roy

11 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rajat Barmecha	...	Rohan Singh
Sanjay Gandhi	...	Rathod
Ronit Roy	...	Bhairav Singh
Manjot Singh	...	Maninder Singh
Ram Kapoor	...	Jimmy Singh
Raja Hudda	...	Vikram
Varun Khettry	...	Benoy
Shashi Sharma	...	Rathod's Girlfriend
Khushkeran Singh Sandhu	...	Punished Boy
Jayanta Das	...	Principal
Akantuk Sharma	...	Boy Carrying Trunk
Sahil Sahota	...	Boy Carrying Trunk
Aayan Boradia	...	Arjun Singh
Sonia Raisurana	...	Rashmi Singh
Mohammad Nizam	...	Mr. Rao (as MD Nizam)

Storyline

After being abandoned for eight straight years in boarding school, Rohan returns to the small industrial town of Jamshedpur and finds himself closeted with an authoritarian father and a younger half brother who he didn't even know existed. Forced to work in his father's steel factory and study engineering against his wishes, he strives to forge his own life out of his given circumstances and pursue his dream of being a writer.

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Plot Keywords:

authoritarian | boarding school | alcoholic father | atrocity | reference to catcher in the rye | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi English

Release Date:

16 July 2010 (India)

Also Known As:

Flight

Filming Locations:

Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$2,715 (USA) (16 July 2010)

Gross:

$7,461 (USA) (30 July 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

UTV Spotboy, Anurag Kashyap Films, Sanjay Singh Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vikramaditya Motwane wrote the script in 2003.

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Connections

References 1 Night in Paris (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Break on Through (To the Other Side)"
written by The Doors
spoken word performance by Sumant Mastkar

User Reviews

Lots of soul in the movie

You might find the poster of the movie a bit misleading – because the poster and the trailer of the movie seem to suggest that it is college- teen story. And Udaan is anything but that. It is, however, a intensely heartfelt movie with a strong emotional connect – and with so much realism, that I cant shake the feeling it is, to a large extent, autobiographical. Even though it is populated with largely unknown faces, set in a bleak industrial city, yet this movie will linger in your minds for a long time after you exit the hall.

The plot of the movie is essentially a two liner. A 17 year old is kicked out of boarding school for playing truant and is forced back to an apathetic father – and to a 6 year old half brother he didn't know existed. Stuck in a small town with no friends, forced to study engineering and work in his father's iron and steel works, Udaan is a story of Rohan's struggle with his loneliness and desperation. It is not pure entertainment, but it has got a lot of soul

The overbearing character in the movie is Bhairav Singh, played by Ronit Roy. A despotic father (with some probable army background, though its never suggested) – who does not listen to any opinion that doesn't match his own and runs his life with army-like discipline. He even insists his sons call him Sir. He stands starkly in contrast with his younger brother, the affable Ram Kapoor. He is the only beacon of light in Rohan's new world.

And amongst them, sitting quietly in a corner is his younger brother Arjun – who doesn't speak much, yet wins your heart.

Everything from the background music to the photography is perfect for the movie – Amit Trivedi's music melodious yet not distracting from the movie and the bleak shots of Jamshedpur accentuating the void that Rohan feels around him.

Udaan is a coming-of-age movie that you will identify with because of its honesty and sincerity. Newcomer Rajat Barmecha delivers one of the most subtle, yet effective roles in sometime – putting up a stoic face against the circumstances, yet showing us the vulnerable teenager within. The movie takes a slow pace, which in my opinion is essential for the viewers to share Rohan's desperation – but some of my friends thought otherwise. That is probably the only slight flaw in this fabulous movie. Highly recommended

You can read more reviews at http://bombaycinephile.blogspot.com