Good parents, of course, try to push their children to better outcomes, but abusive parents, under the guise of this idea, turn this into restrictive control, where failure is irredeemable, expectations become orders, and the said child is blamed for everything that goes wrong. Udaan depicts this fraught father-son relationship realistically. It’s a tough watch because of how realistic the abuse was portrayed, but the film soars with the way it doesn’t paint Rohan only as a victim, but rather as a boy able to find his way through empathy and kindness despite the terrible way his father treats him. There’s a sense of genuine hope Udaan has that many other films forget, and it’s an important perspective we should try to remember.
Upon returning to his industrial hometown, a young man must decide whether to follow his own dreams or acquiesce to his father's plans for his future.
After getting expelled from boarding school, 16-year-old Rohan returns home to his strict father Bhairav and his unexpected 6-year-old half-brother Arjun, leaving him torn between his personal dreams of becoming a writer and his father’s plans for his future.
The way Udaan gracefully tackles sensitive issues like abuse makes Rohan’s self-discovery and his connection with his half-brother all the more powerful.
This is what hope and freedom genuinely feels like. I wish everyone can feel this about their lives today.
Cannes
1 nomination
