NGL, the Ulajh trailer had intrigued me. The Janhvi Kapoor, Gulshan Devaiah and Roshan Mathew film directed by Sudhanshu Saria and backed by Junglee Pictures promised a gripping thriller and I was seated. Ulajh has an interesting supporting cast that includes Rajesh Tailang, Meiyang Chang, Adil Hussain and Rajesh Gupta. Finally, the film has been watched and the thoughts are a mix of good and bad! Written by Sudhanshu Saria and Parveez Sheikh, the plot and performances held my attention, but the slow-paced storytelling and a great deal of information all at once got me distracted. Here’s a detailed review!
Plot
Suhana Bhatia (Janhvi Kapoor) becomes the youngest IFS officer to take over the duties as the Deputy High Commissioner in London. Since she is the daughter of a diplomat (Adil Hussain) the much-expected debate around nepotism is bound to happen. Suhana feels pressured to justify her position because of the persistent chatter and self-doubt she experiences, and she unintentionally falls into the trap of conspiracies. Suhana Bhatia meets Nakul Mehta (Gulshan Devaiah) and a brief romance between them becomes her biggest nightmare. The movie slowly unfolds into revealing the real nature and motive of each character and how Suhana Bhatia navigates through it. Playing Joseph Kutty, a RAW agent, Roshan Mathew partners with Suhana to expose the devious plot intended to jeopardize the latter’s morality and sense of national identity.
Good
Performances
Ulajh has some exceptional performances delivered by the lead cast as well as the supporting cast.
Janhvi Kapoor as Suhana Bhatia puts her best foot forward to showcase the character’s whirlwind of emotions. The actor brings out the complexities of her character with quite ease and it was refreshing to see Janhvi Kapoor play a role that demanded her to be on the edge throughout the narrative. Janhvi lets the audience feel the turmoil going on inside Suhana Bhatia, however, there were a few moments where it felt a little forced.
Gulshan Devaiah, star of the show? Yes! The actor is the best element in the film, and well, the element of surprise as well. His flirting skills as Nakul Mehta melted the hearts of many women sitting around me, and I could sense the room. Suhana Bhatia isn’t the only one who feels heartbroken when the actor uncovers the dark intentions of his character Nakul; the audience is also affected when he unveils his true colours and sheds his charming personality. Gulshan Devaiah deserves every ounce of credit for pulling off the most powerful character in the film with so much ease.
Roshan Mathew’s character Joseph Kutty comes to the forefront post-interval. His character becomes an important element in helping Suhana Bhatia carry out a risky mission but to our surprise, Roshan Mathew also brought the element of comic relief to the film. There are moments when Joseph randomly starts a rant in Malayalam, and we understand the frustration displayed by his character even if we don’t fathom a single word!
Rajesh Tailang as Salim, Suhana Bhatia’s driver is effortless and impressive in his role. The actor plays the character with such finesse that it’s really hard to find faults.
Shockers!
Despite the slow pace of the film, there were a few shockers that left me confounded. The twists that majorly happened through the characters kept me engaged throughout. The interval block was a bolt from the blue! Also, the fact that Ulajh keeps serving the element of surprises till the end is another fun factor that plays well in the film. The moment you think that the premise has been uncovered entirely, it throws another plot twist that makes you go, “Woah, now what?”
Build Up
People who are not into slow-burn thrillers may find the film boring or slow in the first half, which is true to some extent. However, if you look at it from another perspective, the first half also acts as a thorough build-up for the plot that develops post-interval. The film forms the premise of not just the plot but of the characters too before the interval, luring the audience into a more engaging second half. However, here’s what goes wrong in the film!
Kept A Lot For The Second Half!
Ulajh, a film by Sudhanshu Saria, has a lot of difficulty disseminating the plot evenly during its two hours and thirty minutes. As an audience, it gets difficult to keep up with all the twists or scheme revelations which primarily happen in the second half. There were moments when Ulajh served us with a lot of information to grasp and remember. Only if the film had managed a quicker pace in the first half, I or others in the audience would not have had much problems in joining the dots.
The India-Pakistan Narrative!
Yes, again! This has become quite redundant in spy thrillers or patriotic films to form the basic premise of the film. The same old narrative of the enmity between India and Pakistan irks but at least, there were other factors that kept the audience distracted from it!
The Ending
IDK if it’s just me or even others thought that the ending was quite convenient and rushed. A film that puts in so much effort to create a sense of suspense and thrill throughout the narrative has a rather underwhelming end. Suhana Bhatia is quite successful (if not entirely) in catching the real culprit but the way the climax pans out for her, it’s just really hard to buy. It’s a good example of lazy writing!
Direction
Sudhanshu Saria’s direction and cinematography felt average barring a few moments that stood out for me. For eg. Suhana Bhatia’s regular jogs during which she grapples with her thoughts, morals and turmoil was a thought-provoking way of showing how the character is trying to keep calm amid all the chaos. The interval block is another example of good direction. However, Ulajh is mostly dependent on its writing.
Verdict
Janhvi Kapoor, Gulshan Devaiah and Roshan Mathew starrer Ulajh has a fresh and thrilling plot to narrate with the characters being its biggest strength. The film’s pace does lag in the first half but if you’re a fan of slow-burn thrillers, that will not be a problem. The performances are excellent, and Gulshan Devaiah steals the show for the most part. Janvhi Kapoor is impressive because she shows her potential as an artist capable of playing nuanced roles. The ending is questionable and the hard-to-keep-up storytelling gets frustrating at times. Overall, it’s a good one-time watch but is it more worthy of an OTT release than theatrical? It is a question I still have no answer to. Happy watching!