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I went in looking forward to Ulajh: what could be better than a film headlined by a hard-working New Gen actor who finally seemed to have got a role matching her intelligence, with support from a solid, diverse cast. Sadly, this spy thriller, set mostly in the chilly environs of London, turned out to be a damp squib.
The film opens with the ambitious young diplomat Suhana Bhatia (Janhvi Kapoor) winning a losing battle in a neighbouring country with a dodgy move. The justification, that it was in the best interests of India, is placed above all else, establishing Suhana’s smarts and ability to think on her feet. A promotion to the prestigious overseas posting makes this IFS blue-blood — dad Dhanraj (Adil Hussain) is a service legend — someone who will blaze a career trail.
In quick succession, she meets with her avuncular chauffeur-cum-factotum (Rajesh Tailang), a suave senior (Alyy Khan), a couple of carping juniors (Roshan Mathew, Meiyang Chang), and a dishy chef (Gulshan Devaiah) who whips up delicious dishes on-the-go.
And then comes the sledgehammer: an indiscretion makes her a soft target for the ISI (where there are patriotic Indians, how far can the dastardly Pakistani secret service be), suspicion around her grows, and the noose tightens. Over in Pakistan, a peacenik premiere (Rushad Rana) is on his way to India. Will things go off smoothly, or will it be a disaster? Are the increasingly desperate Suhana’s compatriots clean or dirty? Will she be able to break free?
The spy genre is a well-trodden path, but there’s always space for a slick flick with characters who make you believe in their twisted convictions and questionable actions. Here believability is sacrificed for contrivances, and staginess. How does Suhana, whom the script awards with sharp instincts right from the get-go, fall for the oldest trick in the book? Why are her interactions with the one she hero-worships written with such stiffness? How does an antagonistic colleague flip over to the other side in the space of a heart-beat?
It’s even more disappointing because here’s a fine ensemble left to fumble through an amateurish plot-line. The trouble that Hindi films with heroines leading from the front is visible in the way Kapoor is planted front and centre, even when her character should have known better: stepping aside, and letting the experts do their job. When your lead is upped at the expense of the other characters, who feel underwritten, then you’ve underserved the film.
Ulajh movie cast: Janhvi Kapoor, Roshan Mathew, Gulshan Devaiah, Adil Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, Meiyang Chang, Rajendra Gupta, Alyy Khan, Jitendra Joshi, Rushad Rana
Ulajh movie director: Sudhanshu Saria
Ulajh movie rating: 2 stars
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