I cannot stress enough the importance of watching Udta Punjab to everyone I know - near, dear and far. I went to a first day first show this morning and was rather disappointed at how the hall was nearly empty. So here I am trying to do my little part of spreading the word, trying to add to the film's word of mouth as much as I possibly can.
I often stand out as being boring or "granny-like" when I talk about the so-called milder, "natural" substances as being gateway drugs. I get reactions of this kind - we know to draw the line at natural. And trust me when I say such conversations come up so easily nowadays that I sometimes get worried about the future of our race. I studied Psychology for five years and went on enough psychiatric facility visits during that point in my life to understand the seriousness of substance abuse. It almost always starts mild and less passionately, like a lot of other things in life.
In terms of film-making, nothing about the film left me disappointed. But while it must be appreciated for its technical aspects, I urge everyone to also watch it for the experiences of the characters it portrays, especially under the influence of abuse. I have known about these experiences all along and yet like every time back in school and college when I would get emotionally disturbed by what I learnt or saw, today, this movie left me just as disturbed. No form of substance abuse should be justified, irrespective of what kind of substance is in question, how often it is being taken or what made one start.
Like I mentioned in my previous post, I would love for us to translate and apply the lessons we learn from such well-made films, off-screen in our personal lives. The movie talks about substance abuse through many dimensions both personal and political while still managing to drive home a valuable and beautiful point - the sanctity of personal choice.
I took that with me when I walked out of the cinema hall among many other points, and I really hope everyone who watches the film gets to have this take-away just like me. Why is that important? Because while Udta Punjab is about Punjab, it is generally and universally relevant too. And that is an unfortunate thing.
I often stand out as being boring or "granny-like" when I talk about the so-called milder, "natural" substances as being gateway drugs. I get reactions of this kind - we know to draw the line at natural. And trust me when I say such conversations come up so easily nowadays that I sometimes get worried about the future of our race. I studied Psychology for five years and went on enough psychiatric facility visits during that point in my life to understand the seriousness of substance abuse. It almost always starts mild and less passionately, like a lot of other things in life.
In terms of film-making, nothing about the film left me disappointed. But while it must be appreciated for its technical aspects, I urge everyone to also watch it for the experiences of the characters it portrays, especially under the influence of abuse. I have known about these experiences all along and yet like every time back in school and college when I would get emotionally disturbed by what I learnt or saw, today, this movie left me just as disturbed. No form of substance abuse should be justified, irrespective of what kind of substance is in question, how often it is being taken or what made one start.
Like I mentioned in my previous post, I would love for us to translate and apply the lessons we learn from such well-made films, off-screen in our personal lives. The movie talks about substance abuse through many dimensions both personal and political while still managing to drive home a valuable and beautiful point - the sanctity of personal choice.
I took that with me when I walked out of the cinema hall among many other points, and I really hope everyone who watches the film gets to have this take-away just like me. Why is that important? Because while Udta Punjab is about Punjab, it is generally and universally relevant too. And that is an unfortunate thing.
