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There is a familiar ring to the tale in real life. Aniket (Vikram Singh Chauhan) and Pooja (Mrunal Thakur) are friends who act together in theater. Aniket has fallen for her but Pooja has always told him that he likes him as a friend. However, an obsessive Aniket, her co-star in the stage presentation, Romeo & Juliet, stages a public proposal to her after the show, stating that “their” real-life story will have a happy culmination unlike the classic. A flummoxed Pooja accepts his ring on stage but chastises him backstage and flounces off.
Desperate, Aniket calls her multiple times that night and Pooja does not pick up his calls. Aniket finally sends her an email about his feelings and commits suicide.
Pooja is shattered, ditto their common friends and associates. Social media goes haywire and her reputation is blown to smithereens. Aniket’s family and lawyer Jatin (Vijay Raaz) get Pooja arrested and she is up for trial for abetment of suicide.
Common friend Sana (Huma Qureshi), a corporate lawyer, takes up her case. During the trial, issues come up on male entitlement, gender inequality, handling of rejection and everything else, with the prosecution trying its best to assassinate Pooja’s character as someone who “used” Aniket. In the end, Sana wins the case (Now, that’s no spoiler!) but not before Pooja has borne a lot of trauma even after she is granted bail.
The film’s premise is interesting and realistic, but the overall proceedings seem to be a tad stretched and could have been sharper, crisper and much more powerful and poignant, given the major social issue it was tackling. How we judge a woman too hastily as well as harshly and how society even now works on patriarchal lines is the intentioned spotlight.
Mrunal Thakur brings out the nuances of a harangued Pooja superbly, while Huma Qureshi is efficient as Sana. As Aniket, Vikram Singh Chauhan impresses by making his character weak, vulnerable and irrational. Vijay Raaz is his usual self but Sunita Rajwar as the female cop who has a serious difference of opinion with him stands out in her brief role. The actors who play colleagues of Pooja and Aniket, who first wholeheartedly judge and condemn Pooja as selfish and heartless do well in their brief roles.
Director Navjot Gulati does a decent job overall, though as said earlier, he should have gone deeper and crisper in his scripting (along with co-writers Kanishka Singh Deo and Niren Bhatt). The technical side is well done.
For a home watch, Pooja Meri Jaan works. But the thought-provoking nature of the premise should have been served better. Queen, Pink, Pagglait and Rashmi Rocket had the requisite ‘socko’ punch, as did even Thappad and Mrs. but that is missing here.
And yes, for a serious movie like this, there was no need to use the F word so often.
Rating: ***
Zee5 presents Maddock Films’ Pooja Meri Jaan Produced by: Dinesh Vijan & Amar Kaushik Directed by: Navjot Gulati Written by: Navjot Gulati, Kanishka Singh Deo & Niren Bhatt Music: Vishal Mishra Starring: Mrunal Thakur, Huma Qureshi, Vikram Singh Chauhan, Vijay Raaz, Rajesh Jais, Sunita Rajwar, Suparna Marwah & others
