Ulajh Movie Review: With a title like Ulajh, you would expect a multitude of tangled plots to explore. However, Janhvi Kapoor and Gulshan Devaiah’s film isn’t as tangled as even a jalebi. Directed by Sudhanshu Saria, who helmed the National Award-winning film Knock Knock Knock, Ulajh falls under the umbrella of patriotic films but plays a reverse card on patriotism. While the approach was unusual compared to recent patriotic films, it did not reach its full potential.
Let’s begin with what Ulajh is truly about. Headlined by Janhvi and Gulshan, the film revolves around Suhana Bhatia (Janhvi), a young government official in the embassy of India in the United Kingdom. Coming from a legacy family, Suhana is burdened with a cloud of nepotism over her head while she tries to wrap her mind around her new position in the UK. However, she meets a mysterious man and is enamoured by him. The man quickly sweeps her off her feet, and they end up hooking up.
While she thinks it is love, Suhana soon realises she has walked into a trap. She is asked to betray her nation for her reputation. The dilemma entangles her duty to the country in every passing scene.
The film is not ‘Ulajhi’ enough. The script offers an interesting perspective on a government official caught between her father’s dignity and her duty towards the country. However, it could have been executed better. At the beginning of the film, Suhana is shown as a street-smart government employee ready to take on a massive position. Scenes also show that she does her full research before investing in people. However, as the movie progresses, she is shown as a naive government official making one mistake after another.
While the initial few mistakes propel the film in a certain direction, the film then starts dumbing her character down. This makes the second half terribly silly and predictable. The film has a couple of high moments, but they are also lost to predictability. The script either needed a little more depth or could have used a tighter editing approach to make it truly hard-hitting.
Despite the shortcomings in the writing, Sudhanshu Saria manages to get the cast right. This works brilliantly in his favor. With Ulajh, Janhvi has proved that she not only has a knack for interesting concepts (Mili and Good Luck Jerry are also good examples of this) but has been working on her craft as well. She does a great job in the film, especially in the action sequences.
The highlight of the film is undoubtedly Gulshan Devaiah. The actor delivers a memorable performance. He goes from looking hot to truly getting under your skin in two hours, and I am here for it. Another standout performance in the film was by Roshan Mathew. The actor is on fire from the word go. He has a few of the best lines in the film. His rapport with Janhvi is fun to watch. I wouldn’t mind watching a haters-turned-lovers story featuring the two.
Rajesh Tailang has also delivered a memorable performance in the film. What is heartbreaking to see is Meiyang Chang being underused. I was hoping to see a little more of him in the film.
What also stands out in the film is its music. Shashwat Sachdev elevates non-dialogue-heavy scenes with his creative touch. A special shoutout to Janhvi’s wardrobe in the film.
Bottom line: Ulajh tries its best to keep you on the edge. However, the story lacks the punch. Watch the film only for the impressive cast.
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