Gone are the days of a meet-cute between a boy and a girl, where they fall head over heels in love with each other and then, after a lot of drama, get their happily ever after.
Navjot Gulati’s Pooja Meri Jaan does not believe in fairytale romance, as this crime and courtroom drama oscillates between what and who is right or wrong.
To set the premise, Pooja Meri Jaan is backed by the makers of Chhaava, Stree and Badlapur, and this is the story of a quintessentially gorgeous girl, Pooja Dogra (Mrunal Thakur), who becomes the object of obsession for Aniket (Vikramsingh Chauhan), only to consistently friendzone him. A very public proposal on stage leads to a rather harsh rejection by Pooja, and before you know it, Aniket commits suicide to get rid of the pain and, some would also say, a bruised male ego and stubbornness.
The film is compact, which makes for an engaging watch. It does not take too much time to set up the base, with a labyrinth of hints being dropped. The movie paces forward through a series of flashbacks where, until the last half an hour or 40 minutes, you really do not know whom to support.
Pooja is mercilessly character-assassinated over Aniket’s sudden suicide. From college friends to the theatre gang that Pooja and Aniket were a part of, everyone blames Pooja for his death.
Tags such as “Pooja jaisi ladki” and “Uss jaisi ladki” follow Pooja everywhere, whose life changes overnight. She is taken into custody for abetment of suicide, and her life goes for a toss.
Amid this chaos, Sana (Huma Qureshi), a corporate lawyer and a friend from their theatre group, comes to Pooja’s rescue. What is good to see is that there is less emotional sympathy and more practicality with which the story progresses. When Sana agrees to help Pooja, she is very much furious.
In their first interaction after the suicide, Sana keeps asking Pooja why she could not have handled things differently.
But as it proceeds forward, this becomes more of a gender battle than a love story gone wrong.
In the series of flashbacks interspersed throughout the plot amid the courtroom investigation, several incidents are showcased where Aniket’s character can easily be called obsessive and toxic.
The classic prototype of a lover boy these days, it is here that, slowly, Pooja, who has for so long been seen in a negative light, begins to have her side of the story come to light.
Mrunal Thakur does a stellar job as the ‘hot chick’ of the college, who becomes the centre of Aniket’s universe. Aniket crosses all limits to go out of his way and do things for Pooja, only to hear “I love you” from her, followed by, “As a friend.” Mrunal Thakur, as the woman who is wronged and suffocated by an overbearing male gaze, is convincing. Her tears and frustration are searing as she helplessly tries to put her side of the story on a pedestal and express the discomfort of having a guy whom she repeatedly asks to “leave her alone” continue forcing himself into her life (literally).
Pooja, as a character, is layered. There are weak moments when she succumbs to the comfort that Aniket brings. Which again points fingers at her as to why she would entertain someone who is romantically interested in her, but that is not the case vice versa.
But the bottom line is that nothing gives a man the right to force a woman to love him. Sadly, the consequences uproot Pooja’s life, and how.
Vikramsingh Chauhan, as the heartbroken Aniket, who cannot seem to fathom why Pooja will not love him back, does an impressive job. He manages to anger you and make you feel sorry for his character until the cat is out of the bag, and to do so effortlessly is indeed commendable.
Huma Qureshi is sharp and right in place as a lawyer. She is a loyal friend, deeply sensitive, but also extremely aware of the deluge of burdens that attack a woman in a world of men. Safe to say, she is the most likeable character in the trio leading this show.
There is also the brilliant Vijay Raaz, who is the prosecutor in this case. Subtle hints of misogyny are present, but when the case is wrapped up, there are also shades of chivalry to be seen as he bows down to the truth.
The story may seem like a Bollywood staple, in today’s times, a bit preachy too. We have seen this obsession in films like Darr and Anjaam. Pooja Meri Jaan has just arrived at a time when this kind of love is more of a reality, be it in film genres or otherwise. The unending emotional manipulation, twisting of facts and confusing evidence make you think deeply about what the fight is really all about in the film. In the end, as the mask of gender bias is unveiled, what emerges is victory and a woman standing against all odds. All in all, it is a chilled, one-time watch if you are in the mood for a quick thriller.
