Ulajh

Ulajh, starring Jhanvi Kapoor and Gulshan Devaiah, presents a mixed bag of strengths and weaknesses.

Acting (1.2/2): The performances by most of the cast were commendable, although a few actors, including the Prime Minister of Pakistan, some police officers, and Jhanvi Kapoor in certain scenes, tended to overact. The director made a genuine effort to manage these portrayals, but the exaggerated moments detracted from the overall impact.

Screenplay (0.8/1.5): The storyline centers around the idea that the political systems of both countries are deeply corrupt. However, the narrative was unnecessarily complicated, featuring an abundance of twists and turns that muddled a relatively straightforward concept. Despite this complexity, the screenplay eventually managed to deliver its core message.

Background Score (0.9/1): The background score was arguably the film's strongest element, enhancing the overall mood and making a lasting impression.

Direction (1/1.5): The direction was decent-neither particularly remarkable nor poor. While there were opportunities for improvement, it was executed competently.

Dialogues (0.6/1): The dialogues were adequate, fulfilling their purpose without being especially memorable or impactful.

Cinematography, Casting, and Miscellaneous (2.2/3): These aspects were well-handled, with the cinematography offering engaging visuals and the casting being suitable for the roles, resulting in an above-average experience.

Overall Rating: 6.7/10

"Ulajh" has its share of strengths, particularly in the background score and technical elements, but falls short in areas like acting and screenplay, where more refinement could have elevated the film.

This is pea brain espionage and spy thriller 😡😡😡 it's downright embarrassing how the plot keeps itself at kindergarten level. And we are of course fools to sit through such shoddy stuff.

For the very first time disliked Gulshan - he was soo miscast. Roshan over acts galore and Jhanvi just looks very confused. Again she is someone I have liked in almost all her movies.

What a waste of 2 hours and the bad news is that there is a part 2 coming 😅 How did they even think they can get people interested for part 2 after what's done here? It's unbelievable how feedbacks are not shared.

Keep away. This is not worth nothing!

There are a lot of paid PR bots here to make this film sound like a great film but its not. Jhanvi was horrible in the film and peiple should not be misguided to watch her on screen. No matter how much of paid PR bots try and give the film excellent review the collections will not come in and they all will be flopped.

This film was a snooze fest and draggy after a good interval. Jhanvi was as usual lazy and underconfident with her lines.

Saving grace is gulshan who stands out almost everytime he comes on screen. He is brilliant with his voice modulation and expressions.

Giving this film 3 stars. And all 3 of them are for gulshan.

Who are these people giving 10 star reviews to this trite? Paid PR or Jahnvi Fan Club?

For someone who is a Deputy High Commissioner for the Indian Embassy in the UK, Jahnavi Kapoor's character is extremely incompetent, naive and downright stupid.

Also, the logistics of the whole thing are extremely stupid. Meaning, Jahnavi's character who is such a high ranking officer does not have any security (not even a PA for company). She comes and goes whenever and wherever she likes. Even the apartment she lives in has one wall which is completely french windows. The first scene I saw that, I knew someone's getting shot at through that window.

She keeps on meeting Gulshan Devaiah unattended. And he keeps on blackmailing her based on these meetings on a continuous basis. But Jahnavi is such an idiot, she just doesn't get it. Why would you go in-person to be blackmailed? Such weak writing.

Such a cast of dumb characters, each one of them. Devaiah's character's tone keeps changing from scene to scene. It was so irritating.

I am through 75 minutes, but I don't think I am gonna finish this movie. I couldn't care less.

Suhana Bhatia (Janhvi Kapoor) is the third generation diplomat, carrying the weight of her family legacy. She becomes the youngest Deputy Commissioner at Indian High Commission in UK, after impressing with her excellent diplomatic skills. Her colleagues are not impressed with her being chosen for the post but she promises her father to excel in the job she has earned. Meanwhile, newly Pakistan PM is all about re-building friendship with India and for the same, he has agreed to extradite a terrorist back to India. Suhana gets charmed by Michelin chef Nakul at a Gala who soon traps her by revealing his identity. To cover up her mistake, she has been given the choice of treason. In her attempt to fight back, what conspiracy she uncovers and how does she get out of this mess, forms rest of the story.

Sudhanshu Saria has co-written a middling screenplay that is infact decent in the first half. It is the second half where the film falters as the conspiracy unravels and the writing complicates the proceedings, only for resorting to convenient resolution. The director takes a realistic approach with his narrative while establishing the character of Suhana and her job. The first half succeeds in showcasing Suhana getting trapped in a mess and being threatened to indulge in treason. It builds up the story to see how a diplomat can get out of this, without having any field training. But the second half pushes her to act like a field agent and the narrative starts losing focus. This is solely because the unnecessary need for using the second half as a build up for a sequel. Janhvi does well as Suhana and has a strong supporting cast to aid her but the writing undoes the efforts.