Ulajh

Ulajh (2024) : Movie Review -

Sudhanshu Saria brings a new spy thriller to Bollywood-new because it belongs to a new sub-genre; otherwise, we have had several spy thrillers in Bollywood. Ulajh is Bollywood's first film based on foreign services, which makes it "new," but sadly, the formulas it uses are too "old." Let's see what those formulas are: scapegoat, rat in your own house, honey trap, and fugitive. It's been decades-I mean, too many decades-since old Hollywood made spy thrillers on the same, which later got glamorous with James Bond and so on. The recent classic and the best one has to be "Infernal Affairs" (2002), which was remade in Hollywood as "The Departed" (2006) and won 4 Oscars too. Ulajh could have been that (for India), and it seemed so, at least from the trailer. However, the final output is nowhere close to that classic, and moreover, we don't even get a decent film. That's so disappointing.

Since there can't be any spoilers, let me be brief. Suhana Bhatia (Janhvi Kapoor) is appointed as the deputy high commissioner of India in Britain at a young age, and many call it a power of nepotism. She meets Nakul (Gulshan Devaiah), and soon they get intimate, as both are lonely in this new country and in need of a partner-a friend, to be more precise. Suhana's just cuddling happiness, and it turns into a nightmare when she realizes that she has been used as a scapegoat and will soon lose her position, respect, and family. Will this scapegoat be able to eat the tiger? (as she says in the trailer).

As mentioned earlier, Ulajh has many outdated formulas, and they don't have anything exciting to offer. Moreover, the film is immoderately slow and bores you with many cliches. India vs. Pakistan relations, peace treaty, friendly visit, ISI, R&AW, inside stool pegion, betrayals, and heartbreaks-you get to see all these things, but don't tell me you haven't seen them before. Ulajh messes itself within many taboos that could have been broken, and the pacy screenplay could have saved it from disaster results, but it played too safe to be called a modern Spy thriller. The screenplay just does not hold you. The dialogues are weak, and the characters lack depth as well. Overall, whatever comes your way is either rotten or half-baked.

Janhvi Kapoor's accent bothers again, but this time it's more annoying because she is playing a high-ranking officer. Though too young, there could have been layers that the writer fails to add, and Janhvi herself attempts no such thing as "efforts." The looks and glam appeal don't help here since the character's demand was exactly opposite. Roshan Mathew suffers from low screen space but covers up a lot in the second half. Gulshan Devaiah seems to have enjoyed the satirical and sarcastic character here, but it's pretty hard to digest. Can't reveal much here, but the character graph isn't what you expect at those moments. Meiyang Chang and Jitendra Joshi have done well despite small roles, while Rajesh Tailang and Adil Hussain add their two bits of experience and talent to messy characters.

Being a spy thriller Ulajh should have stayed away from typical Bollywood glamour, songs, and melodrama, but it just can't be helped sometimes. The music comes and goes, only to add a few more minutes to your boredom. I'd like to watch "Shaukan" separately on YouTube (4K) and enjoy Janhvi's sexy moves and dresses, but I wouldn't really want such a song in a thriller movie. Ulajh also fails at editing because the grip to hold you for 130 minutes is not there. The cinematography and sound design were okay. The film has been shot overseas and looks lavish-all thanks to the good production design. Sudhanshu Saria wanted to make "Infernal Affairs" but ended up making "Internal Affairs," or, can I say, "Private Affairs." A female-led spy thriller about a patriotic officer can't get too personal. The audience would lose connect with the character, and it's a simple equation to understand-very well known to every film maker. Had it been more about the nation and suspense and less about private life, family, death-boring India-Pak conflicts, and too much drama, Ulajh would have been a decent flick. For now, all I can say is "Film Ulajh gayi."

RATING - 4/10*

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.

Movie Review : Ulajh starring on Netflix!!

Ulajh tells the story of a young IFS officer Suhana Bhatia ( Jahnvi Kapoor) who is given a plum posting in London . There she is honey trapped by the suave and handsome Nakul Bhatia ( Gulshan Devaiah) and blackmailed into giving off secret information to the ISI ( who else.. come on guys be innovative 😁)

The narrative is gripping with the first half focussing on the honey trapping and victimization of Jahnvi Kapoor while the 2nd half is payback time where she turns the tables on the perpetrators with help from an unlikely ally!!

A decent cast namely Adil Hussain as Jahnvi's father , Roshan Mathew as Sebin from RAW , Rajesh Tailang and Chang among others do a great job . However it is the portrayal of a hardcore , cold blooded assassin played by Gulshan Devaiah captivates u the most. On one hand he is this smart handsome lady killer and then with a snap of his fingers , a complete U turn transforming him into a terror monger who will stop at nothing till he succeeds in getting his target !!

The climax could have been a bit tighter. But all in all a grt woman centric film and a decent one-time watch!!

Going with 3/5 for this one.. Adios🙂!!

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I went into Ulajh Premier last night without high expectations, and, honestly, I'm not a big fan of Janhvi Kapoor. However, I left the theatre pleasantly surprised. The film maintained a consistent pace throughout, with plenty of twists and thrills to keep you engaged. One of the highlights is that the movie doesn't waste any time diving into the main story.

The entire cast delivered strong performances, and the sound design and cinematography were top-notch. However, I felt there could have been an additional scene before Janhvi's character goes out with Gulshan to better establish their relationship. Additionally, Gulshan's character could have been more consistent throughout the film. One technical aspect that puzzled me was the choice to use a 16:10 aspect ratio for cinema viewing, which seemed unusual.

Ignore the so-called critic reviews; many seem to thrive on negativity. Give Ulajh a shot-you won't regret it.

Please guys nothing is entertaining about this movie Pathetic story no relevance . Almost everyone in the theater were complaining many left half way. Do not waste your time or money. Only paid PR bots are giving this film excellent review

Bad face to Indian Foreign Service , trying to make a spy thriller with a convoluted aimless plot.

Janhvi Kapoor horrible performance needs to learn a lot, under confident with her lines, poor direction, boring plot.

Only paid PR bots are giving this film excellent reviews.

Avoid this at all cost. I also ask people who have seen it to please give their honest rating.