Pooja Meri Jaan, which has released today on Zee5, is the story of a woman accused of abetment of suicide after a man ends his life when she refuses his proposal. The film tackles a very topical subject and moves at a fine pace. It is just 117 minutes long and doesn’t bore you even for a moment. The goings-on take an unexpected turn in the second half, which adds to the appeal. However, a big issue with the film is that several developments happen rather conveniently, from the lawyer taking up the case to witnesses saying shocking things in court with little provocation. These scenes are difficult to digest. Mrunal Thakur gets into the skin of her character and especially delivers in the emotionally charged scenes. Huma Qureshi’s characterization could have been better, but her performance is first-rate. Vikram Singh Chauhan (Aniket) shines in a challenging role. Vijay Raaz’s character is said to be ruthless, but it doesn’t come through consistently. Thankfully, he makes up for it with his performance. Manuj Sharma (Mukesh) and Sunita Rajwar (Sushila Chauhan, the cop) do well. All in all, Pooja Meri Jaan is an interesting and relevant courtroom drama.
My rating – *** out of 5!