What sort of a spy movie is Sudhanshu Saria’s Ulajh? It begins much like Raazi (2018) with a distinct twist: instead of a historical espionage tale, we get a contemporary narrative featuring a patriotic female protagonist dressed in modern pantsuits. Suhana Bhatia, played by Janhvi Kapoor, is a young Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer fueled by loyalty to her country and her family’s legacy. Her mission unfolds on foreign terrain, echoing similar Indo-Pak diplomatic tensions to those in 1971. Both Raazi and Ulajh are productions of Junglee Pictures, and interestingly, Nitin Baid edited both films. The new movie even features an opening credits song with ‘watan’ in its title, although it quickly fades from memory.
It isn’t until the final moments of Ulajh’s 134-minute runtime that its true intentions are revealed. Initially presented as a tense thriller, the story quickly pivots to an overambitious attempt at creating a franchise, a move that appears to follow the current trend of Bollywood adopting the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s formula. This shift detracts significantly from the film’s narrative, resulting in a distracted storyline that raises more questions about future possibilities than delivering a satisfying conclusion.
Suhana Bhatia comes from a lineage of patriots and begins the film with a diplomatic stint in Kathmandu. Despite her initial confidence, emphasizing “strategy” and “leverage” in her duties, her superior advises her to simply “observe.” Suhana’s professional struggles are compounded by the weight of her background and gender, especially when she is appointed as the youngest Deputy High Commissioner to the UK. Engaged in complex trade negotiations in London while ignoring the sexist remarks of her colleagues, Suhana’s journey takes a darker turn when she encounters Nakul, a character initially introduced as a Michelin-starred chef, played by Gulshan Devaiah. Persuasive and ever-charming, Nakul soon reveals his sinister side, blackmailing Suhana with a sex tape and demanding confidential information.
The exchanges between Suhana and Nakul are genuinely creepy, expertly captured by the excellent cinematography of Shreya Dev Dube. However, these moments are undercut by an awkward comedic tone, evidenced by Nakul’s philosophizing about nations and borders being just “lines in the sand,” which makes him sound like a stoned professor rather than a threat.
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Ulajh’s effort to showcase a modern, multicultural narrative is evident from the start. Suhana’s linguistic proficiency spans Nepali, Urdu, French, and Japanese, and she displays an astute ability to deduce backgrounds from dialects and inflections. Her embassy colleagues represent a microcosm of India, with Roshan Mathew delivering a standout moment in Malayalam as an embedded R&AW officer named Sebin. Nonetheless, the film doesn’t effectively utilize its secondary characters, leaving actors like Meiyang Chang in thankless roles, and portrays Nakul’s alias, “Mohammad Humayun Akhtar,” as an anachronism lacking depth.
The film attempts to delve into themes of nepotism, clearly mirroring its star, Janhvi Kapoor, a second-generation actor playing a third-generation diplomat. Despite Kapoor’s commendable performance, depicting Suhana’s growing disorientation and self-doubt, the film frequently relies on an expository background score at critical moments, undermining the tension essential to a thriller.
The series of implausibilities further detracts from the film’s credibility. High-ranking officials seem to move internationally without restriction, a conspiracy of laughable proportions comes to light, and a confrontation between Suhana and Sebin leaves a crucial door ajar. As the narrative progresses, the second half unravels, suggesting either a budgetary constraint or a dearth of creative ideas. The climax, set in the noise of Delhi, feels particularly unsatisfying.
Moreover, viewers familiar with Delhi may question the depiction of the Research and Analysis Wing’s headquarters supposedly located in the Statesman House building in Connaught Place, a detail that seems ripe for some fact-checking.
Ulajh, now running in theatres, promises much but delivers little. While it aims to portray the struggles of a young female diplomat in a male-dominated world and surfaces the challenges she faces, its execution leaves much to be desired. What starts as a promising thriller quickly becomes mired in overambitious storytelling, ultimately failing to stay true to its initial premise. Indian cinema deserves better, especially when tackling such rich and complex narratives.
