Sanchita
UT69 Movie Review – Starring Raj Kundra
Rating: 3/5
Director: Shahnawaz Ali
Cast: Raj Kundra (as himself)
Runtime: 1h 57 min
Storyline:
UT69 is a satirical and biographical look at Raj Kundra’s jail-term. For the unversed, in July 2021, Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj got embroiled in a porn scandal. He was even jailed for the alleged creation and distribution of pornographic content.
After 2 months, he was granted bail in September 2021. UT69 follows his 63-day imprisonment in Arthur Road Jail. UT69 is packed with some unexpectedly hilarious moments as Raj encounters some memorable characters during his stay in the jail.
Amidst the despair and uncertainty of his situation, Kundra eventually adapts to jail life, with some moments of camaraderie that bring solace to his dreary, monotonous life. UT69 takes a harsh look at the deplorable state of the Indian jails while trying to keep the tone positive and resilient.
Made wiser by his stint in jail, after his bail, Raj Kundra informed the Human Rights Commission about the conditions inside. He also tried to help underprivileged families by setting up a free legal aid team to help their family members stuck in jail.
UT69 Movie Review:
UT69 is a satirical and partially wholesome look at Raj Kundra’s jail term. It is witty and sentimental and unexpectedly funny at moments.
Raj Kundra marks his acting debut with this project and has a confident enough screen presence. He manages to portray the initial angst and despair well. His comic timing is not bad as well.
UT69 Movie Review:
The tone shifts to something more light-hearted and heartwarming as his friendship with the inmates grows. The bond he shares with them seems genuine enough and forms some of the best emotional scenes of the film, especially the Ganesh Chaturthi Puja.
UT69 Movie Review:
The only gripe with UT69 is the very porn case for which he’s imprisoned is not explored too much. The movie focuses solely on his jail-life and his reaction to the treatment he’s getting there. We do not get to see him reflect on the case or his actions at all.
The gratuitous toilet humour seems too overdone too. While UT69 does a good job of showing the deplorable state of Indian jails and the treatment that celebrities get…. in the end, one walks away feeling that the film was too sanitized for its own good. Not nearly gritty enough.
Hit Or Miss:
Makes for an interesting one-time watch.
(Also Read: Shilpa Shetty Juhu Home ROBBED; Police Detain 2 Guys!)
