Pooja Meri Jaan Review: Good Idea Wasted in A Poor Film

Pooja Meri Jaan Review

BOTTOM LINE
Good Idea Wasted in A Poor Film

PLATFORM
ZEE5

RUNTIME
1Hr 57Mins

What Is the Show About?

Pooja and Aniket perform a play in front of a live audience. Right after it ends, Aniket proposes marriage, only to hear that Pooja is already in a relationship with another man, Vikram. Aniket is hellbent on earning a yes from her and keeps calling her. The next morning, Pooja receives the news that Aniket is no more. How far was Pooja responsible for Aniket’s death?

Performances

Mrunal Thakur as Pooja gets the only character in the film with some potential. You would want to empathise with her plight, but the execution is passionless. She gives it her all, though in a lost cause. Huma Qureshi as Sana is underused in a sterile role that lacks much personality. Despite his mettle, Vijay Raaz hardly feels like a threatening opponent. Vikram Chauhan is barely there.

Analysis

Pooja Meri Jaan is cut from the same cloth as Pink on a thematic level, where a woman is judged and slut-shamed for rejecting a man’s proposal, highlighting how he couldn’t handle a no for an answer. However, the film gender-flips the premise, as the man commits suicide and the blame shifts onto the woman, who is jailed for it.

The idea is timely in an age when crimes of passion are on the rise and media trials often decide what is fair and what isn’t. Yet just because a film has a relevant story to tell and gets its gender politics right, it doesn’t automatically become engaging. The courtroom drama makes a valid point, but isn’t hard-hitting enough.

The film has a rather poetic start, where both the victim Aniket and the accused Pooja are performing a stage adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Aniket dramatically proposes to Pooja in front of a live audience. Pooja is too shocked to react and, in very clear terms, asks him to stay out of her life, only to find him dead the next morning.

The non-linear narrative offers a hazy picture of Aniket and Pooja’s personalities and gradually unpacks each of the characters and their pasts. Aniket is painted as a softie who was friend-zoned for many years, while Pooja is blamed for not shutting him out of her life sooner.

Pooja’s character is written well in particular. She is judged for her multiple relationships and past messages, and is represented by Sana, a lawyer-cum-friend who doesn’t have much sympathy for her. The raw material is terrific, but where does it exactly go wrong? The answer perhaps lies in the translation.

The courtroom proceedings truly struggle to hold your attention. Sana, in most cases, has a valid point, and you slowly empathise with Pooja’s version. The film moves from one scene to another in a disjointed manner, relying on empty posturing, failing to establish a strong emotional connect.

Both Pooja and Sana aren’t really challenged enough. The counterarguments are shown in a blur, written merely to provoke a woman. Pooja’s experience in jail is almost laughable, and the men conveniently keep vanishing from her life. The writing runs out of steam by the end, and the win doesn’t mean much to the viewer.

It is tiring to repeatedly call a film sincere and well-intentioned simply because of its premise. What a film needs is at least a handful of good moments on screen and characters that feel believable while the story lasts. Pooja Meri Jaan makes it look like a rehearsed formality, as much as you want to appreciate it for what it wants to be.

A set of characters feel wasted, including Pooja’s parents, her brother and Aniket’s mother, especially when the story offers full licence to generate wide-ranging debates. It conveniently antagonises everyone against Pooja, with her only ally being Sana.

Pooja Meri Jaan needed more conviction in what it wants to put across through good drama and compelling characters. With the talent on offer and a good starting point, it is a shame that the film doesn’t work.

Music and Other Departments?

There isn’t much to write home about in terms of the technical contributions. Ultimately, what could a composer do if all he has is dead meat? The cinematography does what is expected, although it is strictly functional. It is hard to pin the blame on the editing structure, even if the proceedings feel incomplete and leave you craving more.

Highlights?

Good idea

Bits and pieces of the courtroom proceedings

Drawbacks?

Lacks strong emotional pull or impact

Talented actors wasted in insubstantial roles

Unimaginative situations and dull execution

Did I Enjoy It?

I tried to, but couldn’t.

Will You Recommend It?

Only if you want to watch a film with a novel idea and call it a wasted opportunity.

Pooja Meri Jaan Zee 5 Movie Reviewed by M9 News