The literal translation of the word 'Udaan' is 'flight', and that becomes the story of seventeen year old Rohan Singh (Rajat Barmecha), who desperately seeks the means to flee a dreadful family situation made bitter by an abusive father. It's the age old story of a man who wants the son to follow in his own footsteps, deciding his career path in advance, and tormented by the teenager's insistence on following his own path. Though the idea is not new, the story provides additional resonance when Rohan learns that his father's abuse has become physical with a younger sibling that Rohan never knew he had as a result of Bhairav Singh's (Ronit Roy) second marriage after the boy was enrolled in boarding school. This is where some of the story's credibility suffers somewhat however. One has to wonder how hospital staff would have missed the bruise marks left by a belt that the father used to punish the young boy.
Throughout the story, the father earns a reputation as one of the most vile villains in Hindi cinema, as he harbors not a shred of remorse toward his boys. A late apology for berating them is quickly followed by a promise to send eight year old Ariun (Aayan Boradia) off to boarding school, and a demand that Rohan spend an additional three hours daily at work in an iron forge. So much for compassion. Rohan understandably realizes that he must take the step-brother under his wing and leave the toxic family situation, certain that either he or his brother might one day follow in the father's footsteps as angry, frustrated individuals.
This is one of the better Hindi films I've managed to view, all of which have been recommended via IMDb's 'Top 250' lists over the past few years. Not all have been worthy of inclusion, so catching a good one now and then has been a rare treat. The one head-scratcher in this film however was presented by the eighty year old patient in the hospital who enjoyed Rohan's story about Chandu and his bicycle. The man responded to one of Rohan's observations by stating "Day destroys the night, night divides the day. Try to run. Try to hide. Break on through to the other side." It sounded like a cryptic reply intended to appreciate Rohan's ambition as a future writer, but all it did was make me wonder - what are the odds an eighty year old Hindi man would be quoting a line from a 1967 song by Jim Morrison and The Doors?
Throughout the story, the father earns a reputation as one of the most vile villains in Hindi cinema, as he harbors not a shred of remorse toward his boys. A late apology for berating them is quickly followed by a promise to send eight year old Ariun (Aayan Boradia) off to boarding school, and a demand that Rohan spend an additional three hours daily at work in an iron forge. So much for compassion. Rohan understandably realizes that he must take the step-brother under his wing and leave the toxic family situation, certain that either he or his brother might one day follow in the father's footsteps as angry, frustrated individuals.
This is one of the better Hindi films I've managed to view, all of which have been recommended via IMDb's 'Top 250' lists over the past few years. Not all have been worthy of inclusion, so catching a good one now and then has been a rare treat. The one head-scratcher in this film however was presented by the eighty year old patient in the hospital who enjoyed Rohan's story about Chandu and his bicycle. The man responded to one of Rohan's observations by stating "Day destroys the night, night divides the day. Try to run. Try to hide. Break on through to the other side." It sounded like a cryptic reply intended to appreciate Rohan's ambition as a future writer, but all it did was make me wonder - what are the odds an eighty year old Hindi man would be quoting a line from a 1967 song by Jim Morrison and The Doors?