Bollywood actors Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Alia Bhatt were so impressed with the story of "Udta Punjab" that they charged half of their fees from the makers. Abhishek Chaubey's directorial revolves around the increasing problem of drug abuse in Punjab.
"They knew that it wasn't a run of the mill Bollywood film. It has a very interesting storyline and talks about substance abuse in Punjab," the Deccan Chronicle quoted a source as saying. "All three agreed to be part of the film immediately—at half their fees. Their only request was to not let the word out, since that could possibly affect their remuneration for other films," he added.
The trailer of "Udta Punjab" gave a glimpse that the film is going to be interesting and all the actors did a brilliant job as their respective characters. Scheduled to be released on June 17, the film also features Diljit Dosanjh as a cop.
Shahid plays spoilt rockstar Tommy Singh who gets involved in a drug-related controversy. Kareena plays Dr Preet Sahani, who has sacrificed her easygoing life to move to Punjab to tackle the drug menace. Though Kareena and Shahid are appearing in the same film after "Jab We Met" (2007), the duo has not done a scene together in it.
On the other hand, Alia plays a migrant from Bihar and she comes to Punjab in search of work, but ends up becoming a victim of drug trafficking. Her de-glam look and attempted accent deserve a big clap. However, people are a bit disappointed with the actress and the makers for showing a person from Bihar in such bad condition. Several open letters are being written to Alia, who has chosen to ignore her haters.
The team of "Udta Punjab," including Shahid and Kareena, made their appearance at the trailer launch on April 16. Shahid will also be sharing screen space with Kareena's husband Saif Ali Khan in Vishal Bhardwaj's "Rangoon."
