Udta Punjab : The Debacle of our Rationality and Acceptance

Not just being a native of the state but the entire drama over the movie gave me strong insights about something in it which is not in line the our perceived idea. Most of us at some point of time have imagined our lives to be somewhat similar to the characters we have watched in movies over the course of time. But there lied a difference here with Udta Punjab. Would a person ever imagine a life of Tommy Singh or ASI Sartaj or Dr. Preet Sahni or a laborer working in field?

The vividness and brutality with which it throws an unanswered question on the entire society is something we are not ready to confront. How paradoxical the idea is- all those foul words are a part of our life yet we aren’t comfortable hearing them on the screen. Many of us might be addicts, though the intensity can vary however we think our fate would be different and everything is in control. What is it which makes this confrontation and acceptance so difficult and uncomfortable?

We all have a Tommy Singh and Sartaj inside us, which seeks a catalyst to reverse and correct everything. We always keep a blind eye until we or anyone among our group feels the heat. Unknowingly we go so deep into the pit we create out of our miniscule habits that if later at some point we seek to come out, our surroundings don’t let us.

The sole idea I seek to express is, if we feel movies or songs have elevated this drug menace than we aren’t we comfortable correcting it through the same channel. Forget about the addicts but wouldn’t it be a remarkable achievement if post watching a small fraction of young chaps introspect and say no to try drugs?