Pooja Meri Jaan: 2026 Bollywood Crime Thriller Film Trailer & Review

Movie Name: Pooja Meri Jaan
Directed by: Navjot Gulati
Starring: Mrunal Thakur, Huma Qureshi, Vikram Singh Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
Genre: Romance, Thriller, Mystery, Drama
Release Date: October 02, 2026
Running Time: 117 Minutes
Language: Hindi
Rating:
Production Company: Maddock Films
Budget: Rs.- crore

The film follows Pooja, a young woman who becomes the target of an obsessive admirer. The story explores stalking, obsession, rejection and the consequences of toxic relationships, with elements of a courtroom drama.

Pooja Meri Jaan: Movie Overview

Pooja Meri Jaan is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film directed by Navjot Gulati and co-directed by Vipasha Arvind. The film stars Mrunal Thakur, Huma Qureshi, Vikram Singh Chauhan and Vijay Raaz. It is produced by Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik under the banner of Maddock Films.

The film was directed by Navjot Gulati and co-directed by Vipasha Arvind. It was written by Gulati and Kanishka Singh Deo, with additional screenplay and dialogue by Niren Bhatt. Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik produced the film under Maddock Films.

The film was announced in July 2022, with Huma Qureshi, Mrunal Thakur, Vikram Singh Chauhan and Vijay Raaz in the principal cast. The announcement also confirmed that filming had been completed.

Filming was completed by July 2022. The film subsequently remained unreleased for several years after its original plans for a streaming release did not materialise.

Pooja Meri Jaan was originally planned for a direct-to-streaming release on another platform but remained unreleased for nearly four years. In July 2026, ZEE5 announced the film as part of its upcoming slate. The film premiered on ZEE5 on 2 October 2026.

Movie Trailer:

Movie Review:

An intriguing tale of rejection that needed a sharper edge

Story:

Pooja (Mrunal Thakur) rejects Aniket’s (Vikram Singh Chauhan) romantic advances, but his subsequent suicide and a blaming voice note leave her grappling with guilt, judgment and accusations. As questions emerge, she must confront the consequences of his decision.

Review:

In a society where rejection is often treated as an insult rather than a personal choice, Pooja Meri Jaan explores an uncomfortable question: where does heartbreak end and responsibility begin? Set in Delhi, the film centres on Pooja Dogra (Mrunal Thakur), whose decision to reject her close friend Aniket’s (Vikram Singh Chauhan) romantic advances sets off a disturbing chain of events. When Aniket dies by suicide and leaves behind a voice note blaming Pooja, she is arrested and accused of pushing him to take his own life. What follows is a courtroom battle involving obsession, rejection, public shaming and the dangerous consequences of assigning blame without knowing the whole truth.

The premise has considerable potential. Aniket proposes to Pooja publicly, but she turns him down privately. Following an argument, she asks him to leave her alone and walks away. His subsequent death transforms a deeply personal decision into a legal and social controversy. As the narrative moves between the past and present, different layers of their relationship emerge, keeping the audience questioning what really happened and whether Pooja is a victim of circumstances or being held responsible for someone else’s decision.

Sana (Huma Qureshi), a common friend and corporate lawyer, takes up Pooja’s case. She finds herself fighting not just the legal battle but also public prejudice and a narrative that has already branded Pooja guilty. Opposing her is Jatin (Vijay Raaz), who firmly believes Pooja’s actions contributed to Aniket’s death. Their courtroom confrontation could have been the film’s strongest dramatic engine, but this is where Pooja Meri Jaan falls short.

Writer-director Navjot Gulati’s story has the ingredients for a sharp, provocative courtroom drama in the vein of Pink, but the legal proceedings rarely generate the tension or intellectual conflict the premise promises. Instead of building arguments through compelling cross-examinations, evidence and legal strategy, the courtroom often feels like a vehicle for delivering the film’s larger message. The opposing viewpoints are clear, but the arguments lack the complexity and escalation needed to make the trial genuinely gripping.

Sana’s character arc further weakens the legal proceedings. Her sudden transition from a corporate lawyer to handling a criminal case, seemingly within a single hearing, feels convenient rather than convincing. The film expects the audience to accept her courtroom transformation without adequately establishing her preparedness or expertise. This makes the legal battle feel more constructed for dramatic convenience than grounded in believable courtroom procedure.

At 117 minutes, the film maintains a brisk pace, and its movement between past and present is largely effective. However, the screenplay only skims the psychology of obsession and the inability to accept rejection. Aniket’s behaviour is central to the conflict, yet his character graph is not sufficiently developed to make his obsession feel fully convincing. The film raises an important point about accountability being determined by right and wrong rather than gender, but it sometimes stops short of exploring the issue with the depth it deserves.

Mrunal Thakur is the film’s strongest anchor. She plays Pooja with restraint and conviction, capturing her fear, confusion, anger and vulnerability while keeping the character deliberately ambiguous. Vikram Singh Chauhan brings sincerity to Aniket, but his underwritten character limits the impact of his performance. Huma Qureshi and Vijay Raaz are dependable, though their courtroom exchanges needed greater dramatic weight.

Pooja Meri Jaan deserves credit for tackling rejection, obsession and social judgment from a less conventional perspective. But while its premise invites a powerful courtroom examination of guilt and responsibility, the screenplay does not consistently deliver the legal or emotional intensity required. It remains relevant and thought-provoking, but ultimately feels like a promising idea that needed a more rigorous treatment.