Janhvi Kapoor portrays a powerful woman encountering professional obstacles in her latest flick. Gulshan Devaiah also features.
Picture witnessing a motion picture on the colossal display and a commercial surfaces amid the narrative. It’s not a subtle product endorsement of the occasional ale bottle or an automobile brand, but an entire advertisement of a well-known confectionery. A character articulates the slogan even as circumstances are intense ‘praan jaaye par Pulse na jaaye’. Ulajh, as a motion picture, is that blatant product endorsement, promoting the actress Janhvi Kapoor. While at this juncture in the film, it’s literally their ‘praan’ at risk, it’s still not as clever a wedge-in as the advertising team might have envisioned it to be.
The narrative
The plot centers around a youthful, intelligent, polyglot Suhana Bhatia (portrayed by Janhvi), who hails from an influential lineage of diplomats and a grandfather ‘whose name is inscribed in educational textbooks’. Appointed as India’s youngest Deputy High Commissioner, the blade of favoritism dangles over her head. Sounds familiar? While we might never discern whether the narrative was crafted with Kapoor in contemplation, it certainly appears that way. Continuing her family’s legacy, and being mocked for her advantage is the story both the actress and her character share.
Suhana has recently exited a relationship, and been assigned to London. She meets smooth talker Nakul , a Michelin star cook who captivates her immediately. That’s where complications commence. He turns out to be a corporate blackmailer (and numerous other things), and she finds herself at crossroads- should she salvage her father’s promotion and career, her reputation or the nation’s secrets? Not revealing any spoilers, but you could detect the subsequent twist from a distance.
Numerous issues
Ulajh attempts to be numerous things- a commentary on nepotism, on inequitable treatment towards women in authority at a workplace, sexist conjectures about how they attain there– and ultimately, on why diplomacy is the solution to inter-country disputes. It all concludes in the film taking itself excessively seriously.
The intermission juncture leaves you astonished, but the latter half feels like Ulajh would be better suited as a web series instead, with ample duration to delve into various storylines. Ulajh hurries and expects viewers to be on the same page wherever the ride makes an abrupt stop. The problem with films based on inter-country disputes is they aspire to be taken seriously, but still depend on convenience to propel the plot forward. Two characters evading intelligence agents reach India from London, without anyone being able to trace them and a random individual can breach a prime minister’s security convoy effortlessly.
Janhvi’s performance assessment
Janhvi, predictably, dominates each and every frame of this Sudhanshu Saria direction. She commences the film with a particular sincerity as the girl who won’t remain quiet sitting amidst her superiors in front of a minister, and even blackmails him. That the same tactic comes back to haunt her later, is shrewd.
But she fails to tug at your heartstrings when she gets into trouble. Her vulnerability is similar to her role in Mili. Her desire to validate herself is similar to Gunjan in her previous film, Gunjan Saxena- The Kargil Girl. The quest to hammer her acting skills into our minds, is comparable to Ulajh hammering its ‘nepotism doesn’t mean talent isn’t present’ stance. We perceive what you did there, Parvez Shaikh and Sudhanshu, who share writing credits.
It becomes more than obvious in a shot meant to highlight Suhana’s desire for revenge towards the climax and to showcase Janhvi’s acting talent. Roshan’s character enquired ‘ab yeh bakri kya karegi?’ The camera lingers on Janhvi’s face and quickly zooms in for a close-up as she says ‘poora ka poora sher khaa jaayegi’.
Why the film keeps advancing is because of its supporting cast. Gulshan Devaiah as the ‘chef (?) delivering poetic lines in the climax’ is outstanding. Adil Hussain gets few scenes, but he excels in the last one as a concerned father. Rajesh Tailang greets hi with his approachable driver vibe, with tints of grey. Roshan Mathew deserved more screen time. Meiyang Chang gets one significant scene, and that too is fleeting (pun intended).
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