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Story:
Following her successful resolution of a critical issue involving Nepal, Suhana, an Indian Foreign Services officer portrayed by Janhvi Kapoor, is swiftly promoted to the role of Deputy High Commissioner to the UK. Due to her father’s prestigious diplomatic background, numerous individuals perceive her as a beneficiary of nepotism, including her coworkers Jacob (Meiyang Chang) and Sebin (Roshan Mathew) in London. Additionally, Suhana shares a complex dynamic with her father (Adil Hussain), who offers guidance but withholds his endorsement. The rest of the story is about how Suhana gets to fulfill her professional duties and how she gets entangled in an anti-national conspiracy when she encounters Nakul (Gulshan Devaiah), a chef distinguished by his ‘Michelin-star’ status and notable for his seven peculiar accents.
Performances:
Janhvi Kapoor gives a measured performance, and her acting gets more real as the film progresses. Gulshan Devaiah gives a natural performance, as always, but his characterization looks a bit dysfunctional. Roshan Mathew did not get much scope, but he made his presence felt. Adil Hussain was effective, and all others were appropriate.
Analysis:
The movie’s plot is a rather obvious example of metatextual storytelling, especially considering that the main character is the daughter of Sridevi and Boney Kapoor and has faced similar criticisms as in the film since the beginning of her acting career. The film reiterates the common response from celebrity offspring—acknowledging the existence of nepotism but emphasizing that hard work is essential for success. Despite the consistent plot twists that maintain Ulajh’s momentum and the final return to familiar territory adding value, it fails to distinguish itself as unique, even among similar works.
Positives:
Ulajh always keeps in mind that Suhana’s training is focused on being a diplomat, not a spy agent. Her efforts to mislead Nakul and later engage in spying are awkward. Compared to Sehmat in Raazi, another young woman facing a similar risky situation, Suhana lacks skills. But it is interesting to note that Suhana is just as concerned about her family’s reputation and her father’s UN position as she is about her own career and the country. This makes her actions somewhat irrational but also provides her with a clear, concrete motivation. When Sebin advises her to set aside her emotions, she retorts, “What happened to me was personal!”
Negatives:
Despite a promising setup and well-planted motives and turns, Ulajh fails to hold the audience’s interest all through. Only in the second half of the film does the screenplay get a bit fastened around the final moments, but that was too late by then. All in all, the film neither entertains nor enlightens.
Rating: 2.25/5
Last Line: Ulajh – An Unclear Thriller
