Director Sudhanshu Saria recalls Janhvi Kapoor chased Ulajh makers to bag the film

Director Sudhanshu Saria recalls Janhvi Kapoor chased
Ulajh makers to bag the film

It is learned that some of the directors are neurotic
days ahead of the release of their directorial.

Contrarily Sudhanshu Saria enjoys this window, as his Ulajh is little over a week away from its release. “Right now, he feels the same joy that he felt when he first read the draft that

Parveez Sheikh wrote. Ulajh is based on a genre he hasn’t worked in before. It was much compelling for the setting up of Indian Foreign Services [IFS]. But bravery and patriotism come in all shapes and sizes; and that was the idea of the story.

Ulajh revolves around a young IFS officer who emerges as a pawn in a high-stakes conspiracy. Although the spy thriller includes a fine cast of Gulshan Devaiah, Roshan Mathew, Adil Hussain and Rajesh Tailang, it puts Janhvi Kapoor front and centre. The National Award-winning director underlines that he consciously narrates stories with women protagonists – be it his series Big Girls Don’t Cry, or his upcoming film Sanaa as he likes the idea of a balanced world when it comes to gender politics. In Ulajh too, this is her story, and yet little is affected by her gender. She is a hero who happens to be a woman. Parveez made the original choice, and took it forward.

The conventional notion is that action is on muscles, hence a male category. But spy films are on smarts. Movies like these expand the idea that there cannot be a gender lens in genres. All genres can belong to all actors.” But, for Saria, the film’s underscore is Kapoor, who matched his passion every step of the way. “Janhvi got wind of this existing script and went after them and there was no getting away from her. Saria was overwhelmed for having found a passionate partner.

When he met her, he appreciated that she was willing to be a part of his process; nothing scared her.
Extensive workshops were carried out to make sure the part and the film fit her like a glove.” In a much-needed change, Ulajh also features names of all writers prominently on the poster.

However, Saria credits the studio for taking that rare call. “It’s wonderful to see Junglee Studios pamper their creative talent. We collectively felt the important thing in Ulajh is its story. He lauded the studio for doing its bit in correcting the fact that historically writers’ work is undervalued.

News Edit K.V.Raman