Pooja Meri Jaan released on ZEE5 on October 2 after a stretch of delays, and the Mrunal Thakur-led thriller is still finding its audience on OTT. In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Bubble, writer-director Navjot Gulati went behind the scenes on two performances that lifted the film — and one moment that demanded the longest conversation with his cast.
The day-one monologue that stopped the room
Gulati pointed to Mrunal Thakur’s first day of shoot. She had to deliver a monologue about how men and women are treated differently for their relationship histories, and for him, that was the moment she truly became Pooja. After the take, the set applauded.
The scene is not a soft opener. It plants the film’s central tension — Pooja’s right to say no, and the judgement that follows her when she does. For a title billed as a crime thriller, this is the emotional engine behind the investigation.
Vijay Raaz’s closing argument changed shape
Gulati admitted Vijay Raaz’s closing argument was not what the director had expected. The actor took the scene in a direction that gave the argument an entirely new layer.
“Vijay Raaz’s closing argument was not what I had expected, but it added a completely new dimension to the argument.”
In a courtroom drama, that kind of actor-driven turn can make a familiar summation feel like a character scene. It is one of the details that makes the streaming release worth a closer look.
The scene that needed the most talking
Not everything came easily. Gulati said the make-out scene, where Pooja tells Aniket she is not physically attracted to him, was the most challenging. The cast and makers talked at length about how to get the beat right, because the scene is about consent and honesty rather than punishment. The ending also sparked long discussions and arguments before the team felt it had landed.
From the director’s account, three moments stand out:
- Mrunal Thakur’s day-one monologue earned a round of applause on set.
- Vijay Raaz’s closing argument added an unplanned dimension.
- The make-out scene and the ending required the longest conversations.
Why it resonates now
Bollywood Bubble’s review of Pooja Meri Jaan frames the core theme as “a woman saying no, the man not accepting the answer and society witch-hunting the woman despite evidence being in her favour.” That fictional courtroom is arriving at a moment when women’s safety and freedom of movement are a national talking point.
The timing may explain why a performance-led thriller, rather than a spectacle, is connecting on ZEE5. The distance between the film’s courtroom and the news cycle is small.
What to watch for
Pooja Meri Jaan is directed by Navjot Gulati and Vipasha Arvind, written by Gulati, Kanishka Singh Deo and Niren Bhatt, and stars Mrunal Thakur, Huma Qureshi, Vijay Raaz and Vikram Singh Chauhan.
If you press play, keep an ear out for two scenes: the opening-day monologue and Raaz’s closing argument. Both, according to the director, are where the film grows beyond its plot.
Source: Bollywood Bubble
Comments