Pooja Meri Jaan Review: Mrunal Thakur and Huma Qureshi’s Film Questions Love and Obsession

Rajkumari Sharma Tankha

Can we hold a woman responsible for the death of a man who loves her, but his love is one-sided – the woman does not love him back? Should a woman surrender to a man even when she doesn’t love just because he loved her? When does unrequited love stop being romantic and start becoming an obsession?

These are pretty uncomfortable questions – for men at least. They are also the reason Pooja Meri Jaan (Zee5) deserves a conversation beyond whether it is a good thriller.

Directed by Navjot Gulati, the film brings together Mrunal Thakur, Huma Qureshi, Vikram Singh Chauhan and Vijay Raaz in a story that explores rejection, patriarchy, social judgement and the blurred boundaries between love and obsession.Pooja Meri Jaan is a Hindi courtroom drama directed by Navjot Gulati, streaming on ZEE5 .If you are exploring ZEE5 films, you can also read our Jab Khuli Kitaab review. since October 2, 2026. Mrunal Thakur plays Pooja, who is blamed for a friend’s death after rejecting his proposal. Huma Qureshi plays her lawyer Sana, with Vijay Raaz and Vikram Singh Chauhan also starring. Directed by Navjot Gulati and backed by Maddock Films, the film is produced by Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik.

What I liked most about the film is its central idea. It questions a familiar Bollywood fantasy: the man who keeps pursuing a woman until she finally falls in love with him. We have watched this narrative play out for decades. Persistence is presented as passion, stalking as devotion. A woman’s rejection becomes an invitation to try harder And those films contributed majorly to the ground reality of women being killed for saying no. For another recent OTT story about how society treats a woman’s account of events, read our Hunkkaar The Roar review.

“Na mein ha hai” was long romantizised in Hindi movies. No more now. Women these days mean every single alphabet when they say NO. And this is the topic Pooja Meri Jaan has brought forth.

When Love Becomes an Obsession

Aniket, played by Vikram Singh Chauhan, is deeply attached to Pooja, played by Mrunal Thakur. He wants their friendship to become a romantic relationship. Pooja does not share his feelings. When Aniket proposes to her publicly and she rejects him. He eventually commits suicide. And then, Pooja is accused of abetting his death.

The question at the heart of the film is simple, but the answers are not. Is Pooja responsible for what happens to Aniket? Or does the responsibility lie with a man who cannot accept rejection? The courtroom becomes the space where these questions unfold. Sana, played by Huma Qureshi, steps in to defend her friend. As the story moves between the present and the past, our understanding of the characters keeps changing.

That uncertainty is one of the film’s strengths. Initially, it is not easy to decide whom to support. Aniket appears heartbroken. Pooja seems insensitive. But as more of their history emerges, the distinction between love and obsession becomes increasingly clear. The film makes a point worth repeating. A woman’s refusal to enter a relationship is not an injustice against the man who loves her.

Pooja Is Not Perfect. Neither Is Aniket.

What makes this story real is that Pooja is not a flawless heroine. She is rude at times, impulsive at others. She has had failed relationships in the past, and she admits to her own shortcomings. At times, she enjoys Aniket’s emotional support, even though she does not want the relationship he hopes for. All this makes Pooja a real person, having human failings.

And these are the moments which makes for a good susoense – could she have communicated more clearly? Could she have established firmer boundaries earlier? Could the two have handled their complicated friendship differently? But, mixed signals, emotional closeness or a change of heart do not create an obligation to love someone. Nor does kindness amount to a promise of romance. And no man should think of all this as Love!

Aniket is more than a heartbroken man. His inability to accept Pooja’s decision speaks a lot about our society and how boys are brought up, as also about men’s understanding of love, masculinity and rejection. The tragedy is not simply that one person loves another who does not love them back. That happens in life. The tragedy is inability to accept it.

The Courtroom and the Court of Public Opinion

One of the film’s most relevant themes is the way society treats women when a relationship goes wrong. After Aniket’s death, Pooja becomes the target of gossip and public condemnation. People who know only fragments of the story begin passing judgement. Her character is questioned. Her choices become evidences against her in the court of public opinion. This feels particularly relevant in the age of social media, where a rumour fly thick and fast and media trails have become almost a norm.

The film captures how quickly a woman can be reduced to a label. Her romantic history becomes more important than the circumstances being investigated. The man who has died is remembered through the lens of his suffering, while the woman who is alive must defend her choices. This is where Pooja Meri Jaan makes an important intervention. It asks us to look beyond the convenient story of the rejected lover and examine the assumptions that shape our response.

At the same time, the courtroom narrative raises questions about accountability. Emotional pain deserves compassion. But compassion must not replace a fair examination of what happened. Equally, an accusation must be assessed through evidence and due process, not public anger. The film is at its most compelling when it makes us uncomfortable with our own instinct to pick a side before understanding the facts.

Where the Film Loses Its Balance

Despite its promising premise, the film is not without flaws. The first half is engaging. The flashbacks gradually reveal the relationship between Pooja and Aniket. They encourage us to reconsider our initial impressions. The mystery surrounding the case also keeps the narrative moving.

However, the film begins to lose some of its nuance as it progresses. A story that initially invites us to examine the complicated behaviour of both characters increasingly risks turning into a battle of the sexes.

I would have liked Pooja Meri Jaan to spend more time exploring the emotional boundaries of their relationship. Pooja’s behaviour could have been examined more deeply without undermining her right to reject Aniket. His emotional suffering could have been acknowledged without romanticising his obsession. In absence of all this, the story becomes sketchy, even preachy.

The film also leaves room for a broader discussion about dating, commitment and expectations in Indian society. Women and men alike can behave carelessly in relationships. Either can struggle to communicate honestly. Either can mistake emotional intimacy for romantic commitment.

But there is an important distinction between causing someone disappointment and being responsible for their response to it. I also felt that the film’s later developments made some of its earlier questions less powerful. Its premise is strongest when it resists easy answers. Whenever the narrative leans too heavily towards a predetermined conclusion, it loses some of the complexity that makes the subject worth exploring. The background music, too, could have been stronger. It does little to elevate an otherwise engaging premise.

Performances That Hold the Film Together

Mrunal Thakur is the film’s biggest strength. She brings several shades to Pooja: vulnerability, fear, sadness, impatience and occasional brattiness. Her performance makes the character feel human rather than symbolic.

Pooja is neither an ideal victim nor a perfect person. Mrunal has portrayed that well – a woman struggling to make herself heard while dealing with the consequences of other people’s assumptions about her. Vikram Singh Chauhan has done well as Aniket. He captures the character’s emotional intensity and his difficulty accepting rejection. His performance makes it possible to understand the man’s pain without necessarily endorsing his behaviour.

Huma Qureshi brings sharpness and conviction to Sana. As Pooja’s lawyer and friend, she provides a practical counterpoint to the emotional turmoil around her. Vijay Raaz adds weight to the courtroom proceedings. The supporting cast contributes to the film’s overall impact. Navjot Gulati deserves credit for choosing a subject that invites discussion. The execution may be uneven, but the questions at the centre of the story remain relevant.If psychological thrillers are your thing, our Accused movie review is worth a look.

Things to learn from Pooja Meri Jaan

• A rejection is not a challenge, and affection not consent.
• Friendship does not guarantee romance.
• No one owes another person a relationship because they have invested time, attention or emotion.
• Anyone struggling to cope with rejection should seek professional support without shame.
• And, above all, love gives us the freedom to express our feelings, but it does not give us ownership over another person’s feelings.

Pooja Meri Jaan may not answer every question it raises. But it gives us enough reason to start asking them.

FAQ

Where can I watch Pooja Meri Jaan? Pooja Meri Jaan is streaming on ZEE5, where it premiered on October 2, 2026.

Who is in the cast of Pooja Meri Jaan? Mrunal Thakur plays Pooja and Huma Qureshi plays her lawyer Sana. Vikram Singh Chauhan, Vijay Raaz and Sunita Rajwar also star.

What is Pooja Meri Jaan about? Pooja is blamed for a friend’s death after she turns down his proposal, and she ends up fighting a legal battle. The film looks at rejection, consent and social judgment.

Who directed Pooja Meri Jaan? Navjot Gulati directed it, with Vipasha Arvind as co-director. Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik produced it under Maddock Films.