Pooja Meri Jaan Review: A Relevant and Thought-Provoking Courtroom Drama

POOJA MERI JAAN works as a relevant and thought-provoking courtroom drama. Directed by Navjot Gulati, the film features a star cast including Mrunal Thakur and Huma Qureshi.

The story follows Pooja Dogra (Mrunal Thakur), a Delhi-based actor who works with the Junoon theatre group. After she rejects a public proposal from her co-star Aniket Srivastava (Vikram Singh Chauhan), Aniket ends his life. Following this, lawyer Jatin Trivedi (Vijay Raaz) urges Aniket's mother Alka (Suparna Marwah) and friend Mukesh (Manuj Sharma) to file a case against Pooja, leading to her arrest. Sana Mehfooz (Huma Qureshi), a common friend, steps in as Pooja's lawyer while Pooja faces an avalanche of hate on social media and in the court of public opinion.

The film's story and screenplay are by Kanishka and Navjot Gulati, with additional screenplay by Niren Bhatt and sharp dialogues by Niren Bhatt. Director Navjot Gulati maintains a taut runtime of 117 minutes, keeping the focus firmly on the principal story.

Mrunal Thakur plays the lead role with sincerity, delivering in emotionally charged scenes. Huma Qureshi delivers a first-rate performance despite room for better characterization. Vikram Singh Chauhan leaves a huge mark in a challenging role, and Vijay Raaz is dependable. The cast also features Manuj Sharma, the late Rituraj Singh, Saarthak Gambhir, Priyanshu Jora, Rajesh Jais, Madhu Sachdeva, Suparna Marwah, Sunita Rajwar, and Shilpi Marwaha.

On the technical front, the film features music by Vishal Mishra, a minimal yet effective background score by John Stewart Eduri, satisfactory cinematography by Jishnu Bhattacharjee, production design by Mayur Sharma, authentic costumes by Sheetal Sharma, and tight editing by Sanyukta Kaza.