Pooja Meri Jaan Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Mrunal Thakur, Huma Qureshi
Director: Navjot Gulati
Pooja Meri Jaan Movie Review Synopsis:
POOJA MERI JAAN is the story of a woman in trouble. Pooja Dogra (Mrunal Thakur) lives in Delhi with her father Gulshan Dogra (Rajesh Jais) and mother Nandita Dogra (Madhu Sachdeva). She is an actor who works with the Junoon theatre group and plays Juliet in the play, Romeo And Juliet. The role of Romeo is played by Aniket Srivastava (Vikram Singh Chauhan), who is madly in love with Pooja. However, Pooja has rejected his proposal several times. One day, after successfully staging Romeo And Juliet, Aniket proposes to Pooja in front of the audience. Pooja is stunned and heads to the green room. Aniket follows her, where Pooja blasts him for his actions. She then returns home and repeatedly ignores his calls. Aniket’s world comes crashing down and he ends his life. Jatin Trivedi (Vijay Raaz), a lawyer and self-confessed men’s rights activist, meets Aniket’s mother Alka (Suparna Marwah) and close friend Mukesh (Manuj Sharma), and urges them to file a case against Pooja. Mukesh tells Alka that Pooja had led Aniket on and was responsible for what happened to him. Alka subsequently approaches the police, following which Pooja is arrested. Sana Mehfooz (Huma Qureshi), a common friend of Pooja and Aniket, becomes Pooja’s lawyer. The stakes are high as Pooja faces an avalanche of hate on social media and in the court of public opinion. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Pooja Meri Jaan Movie Story Review:
Kanishka and Navjot Gulati’s story is very topical and novel. Kanishka and Navjot Gulati’s screenplay (additional screenplay by Niren Bhatt) is fairly paced and laced with some hard-hitting scenes. However, the writing has its share of blemishes. Niren Bhatt’s dialogues are sharp and even acidic in some places.
Navjot Gulati’s direction is taut. The film has a runtime of just 117 minutes and hence, the focus remains firmly on the principal story. Aniket’s death takes place within the first 15 minutes and soon after, Pooja finds herself behind bars. The interesting aspect of the film is that Pooja is not portrayed as an all-white character, which further complicates her situation in court. Things take an unexpected turn in the second half when viewers get the complete picture of what transpired in the past, making the proceedings even more engaging. The climax monologue is powerful and can become a talking point on social media.
On the flipside, several developments happen rather conveniently. Sana’s decision to take up Pooja’s case initially seems difficult to digest, considering that she, too, believed Pooja had abetted Aniket’s suicide. The climax leaves an impact but is also unconvincing in parts. The cross-examination of Mayank Joshi (Nikhil Angrish) is one such instance. Moreover, the members of the Junoon theatre group were vehemently against Pooja, and yet some of them later appear as witnesses. A crucial confession by someone close to Aniket, too, comes about rather quickly. Audiences have seen films like SHAURYA [2008] and A FEW GOOD MEN [1992], where lawyers go all out to provoke a witness before extracting a stunning confession. Here, the revelation comes about too easily and too quickly.
Pooja Meri Jaan Movie Review Performances:
Mrunal Thakur plays the lead role with sincerity. She gets into the skin of her character and especially delivers in the emotionally charged scenes. Huma Qureshi’s characterization could have been better. Nevertheless, her performance is first-rate. Vikram Singh Chauhan leaves a huge mark in a challenging role. Vijay Raaz, as usual, is dependable. However, his character is said to be ruthless, and that aspect doesn’t come through consistently in the film. Manuj Sharma, the late Rituraj Singh (Asad Mehfooz), Saarthak Gambhir (Shreyansh; Pooja’s teenage neighbour), Priyanshu Jora (Vikram Malhotra), Rajesh Jais, Madhu Sachdeva and Suparna Marwah do well. Sunita Rajwar (Sushila Chauhan; cop) and Shilpi Marwaha (Chandni Singhania; prisoner) leave a mark despite limited screen time.
Pooja Meri Jaan movie music and other technical aspects:
Vishal Mishra’s music is forgettable. ‘Saza’, ‘Qayamatein’ and ‘Maharani’ fail to register. John Stewart Eduri’s background score is minimal yet effective. Jishnu Bhattacharjee’s cinematography is satisfactory. Mayur Sharma’s production design is appropriate, while Sheetal Sharma’s costumes are authentic. The outfits worn by Mrunal Thakur are glamorous. Sanyukta Kaza’s editing is tight.
Pooja Meri Jaan Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, POOJA MERI JAAN works as a relevant and thought-provoking courtroom drama, with Mrunal Thakur delivering a sincere and effective performance. Though the courtroom portions are not always convincing, the eye-opening subject stays with you and has the potential to become a major talking point in the days to come.
