Udaan at 14: How Vikramaditya Motwane’s debut made an average Indian teen feel heard

Though it’s a coming-of-age story, the film subverts the typical tropes associated with the genre. Its protagonist, Rohan Singh (Rajat Barmecha), is not the conventional hero one might expect in a Bollywood film. He is a 17-year-old boy who has been expelled from boarding school and is forced to return to his hometown of Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), where he must live under the authoritarian rule of his estranged father, Bhairav Singh (Ronit Roy).

A young man’s journey from boyhood to manhood

The dysfunctional relationship between Rohan and his father forms the emotional fulcrum of the film, and it is through this fraught dynamic that Udaan explores the broader themes of oppression, control, and the teen’s struggle for agency and autonomy. The film resonated deeply with a whole generation of middle-class youth who often feel invisible or misunderstood by their parents, especially their father; it captured their angst and frustrations with remarkable accuracy. Initially, the larger audience did not watch the film because of its treatment that looked entirely different from commercial potboilers that Bollywood keeps churning out. However, over the last 14 years, the film has found its fervent fanbase.

The story revolves around Rohan, his father and his half-brother Arjun (Aayan Boradia) —all three are very different from one another. Their names convey a lot about their personalities. The father’s name, Bhairav, means ‘frightful’ — it is also the name of the god of punishment, Shiva. Arjun means to be ‘pure and white’. And, lastly, Rohan means ‘to ascend’ and ‘to fly free,’ which is in sync with the film’s title, Udaan. In short, the film can best be described as a young man’s journey from boyhood to manhood. But what does it mean to be a man?

The film portrays two distinct types of men: Bhairav Singh, who is aggressive, authoritarian, and firmly believes that a man must be physically strong; and his younger half-brother Jimmy Singh (Ram Kapoor), the kind of man Rohan aspires to be — sensitive, affectionate, compassionate, and above all, someone who understands the true meaning of responsibility. The film is about Rohan’s journey to find his own manhood by breaking free from the shackles of the violent and insensitive world his father has created.

The father-son dynamic

What is so special about this tale of an ordinary young boy who aspires to be a writer but is stuck with his father’s regulations and a mountain of suppressed emotions? What is it that resonated so much with audiences and is still relevant 14 years after its release? Let’s unpack one such reason. One of the key aspects that makes this film memorable is the depiction of the layered father-son relationship and how a parent’s parenting style affects the child’s personality. British psychiatrist and psychoanalyst John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory is a great tool for understanding the dynamics shared between Rohan, Bhairav, and Arjun.

Attachment theory is a psychological framework that describes the nature of the emotional bonds that humans form with significant others throughout their lives, particularly during childhood. This bond influences the child’s social and emotional development and their ability to form healthy relationships in the future; these early bonds may continue to influence attachments throughout life. There are four types of attachment styles: Secure, Anxious, Avoidant, and Disorganised/Fearful. The quality of the attachment bond is determined by the caregiver’s responsiveness and sensitivity to the child’s needs and signals. 

Rohan, the aspiring writer, returns home after eight years in boarding school. Unlike most kids who eagerly anticipate returning home, he dreads it, knowing his relationship with his strict father is no good, and there’s no mother waiting for him. The brightness of Shimla turns gloomy as he reaches Jharkhand and faces his father after eight years. Bhairav is a disciplinarian who demands conformity. Rohan is taken aback to discover he has a five-year-old half-brother, Arjun, about whom he had no prior knowledge. Instead of feeling welcomed, Rohan feels suffocated and lonely in his father’s house. He finds solace only in his uncle, Jimmy, who supports his dream of becoming a writer, though they meet infrequently.

How Attachment Theory manifests itself in ‘Udaan’

Rohan witnesses the harsh upbringing of Arjun, who receives little care or affection and addresses their father as ‘Sir.’ Bhairav imposes strict rules on Rohan as well; the boy is supposed to address him as ‘Sir’ and participate in morning exercises and races, where he is consistently berated as ‘disgraceful.’ Rohan’s only escape from his bleak existence is sneaking out at night to be with friends. These nighttime escapades bring him joy and a sense of freedom, away from his father’s oppressive shadow. As frustrations mount, Rohan becomes acutely aware that Arjun’s situation is worse, as he is just a child in desperate need of love and nurturing. This realisation fuels Rohan’s determination to protect and care for his brother.

In two scenes of the film featuring Rohan and Arjun, we see the presence of Secure Attachment. When the two brothers open their hearts to each other at the hospital and in the climax when Rohan decides to take up his little brother Arjun’s responsibility and promises himself to give Arjun everything he deserves. Rohan writes in the letter to his father: “Arjun can be a lot more than just being your slave. He needs a family, not a cage. He needs a future which I will make sure he gets no matter what it takes.” A sign of Anxious attachment can be witnessed in the scene where Rohan pleads to Jimmy to take him along, trying to make his uncle realise his father is unreliable and does not consistently provide responsive care to them.

Avoidant attachment is manifest in scenes where Rohan expresses his rebellion by ignoring conversations with his father, and when Bhairav expresses his plans for Rohan’s future only because he is under the influence of alcohol. Also, when Bhairav prioritises his work trip to Kolkata over being with Arjun when he is admitted to the hospital, no separation anxiety is expressed by the children. When Rohan does not share his problems with his friends and avoids seeking help, it reflects the trust issues developed in his personality. Lastly, when Bhairav leaves Rohan in police custody, as if he is not even as valuable as his car — all these instances are clear examples of Anxious attachment.

The end or a new beginning?

Fearful/Disorganised attachment is evident throughout the film. After suspension, all friends express how they feel, but not Rohan. He only recites a poem on much insistence, knowing that no one would understand the real meaning behind it. This reflects how he feels unsafe to share his emotions. Rohan is regularly reminded of being a loser by Bhairav, which leads to the decline in his confidence. Rohan steals money and a cigarette from his father’s room, it becomes an act of rebellion against his father’s ethical and moral values. When Bhairav demands valid answers from Rohan for lying about failing, Rohan’s face is devoid of any emotional expression.

Bhairav sets Rohan’s poems and stories on fire to punish him, for daring to even think about going against him. There are also moments of extreme emotional outbursts like when Rohan infuriatingly points out how Bhairav never visited him in eight long years, and upon being called a coward by his father, Rohan responds, ‘Do you even have the guts to listen to the truth?’ — It's as if he is trying to show the mirror to his father. Lastly, after knowing about his friends doing well and realising he is the only one stuck in life, his emotions take the form of severe rage, and in this moment, he takes out all his frustration on his father’s car by smashing it.