PremiumUlajh director Sudhanshu Saria: Janhvi Kapoor came after us; there was no getting away from her
Ulajh director Sudhanshu Saria discusses gender politics and casting Janhvi Kapoor as the hero.
Last Updated: 09.54 AM, Jul 25, 2024
In the days leading up to a film's premiere, some filmmakers become nervous wrecks. But Sudhanshu Saria is making the most of this moment, since the release of his upcoming directorial Ulajh, is just over a week away. The spy thriller features Janhvi Kapoor, Gulshan Devaiah, Roshan Mathew, Adil Hussain, and Rajesh Tailang in the lead roles.
Sudhanshu Saria's elation from script to screen
During an interaction with Mid Day, Saria said that he is experiencing the same elation as when he initially read Parveez Sheikh's script. Ulajh is in a genre where he is not familiar with his work. Indian Foreign Services (IFS) had a fascinating setting. That was the idea of the story—that bravery and patriotism come in all shapes and sizes.
A young IFS officer is entangled in a high-stakes scheme in Ulajh. From his series Big Girls Don't Cry to his forthcoming feature Sanaa, the National Award-winning filmmaker emphasises that he intentionally produces stories with female characters.
In terms of gender politics, Saria supports the notion of a fair and equitable global community. This is also her story in Ulajh, but her gender has minimal impact, adding that Janhvi's character is a female hero. He continued with the decision that Parveez had made. The conventional wisdom holds that action is mostly associated with men because of the emphasis on muscles. However, intelligence is core to spy films. These films reinforce the notion that a gender perspective cannot analyze genres. Any actor can be associated with any genre.
Janhvi Kapoor's enthusiasm and collaboration
Janhvi, who mirrored his enthusiasm throughout the film, is the star of the film, according to Saria. The actor immediately recognized the script, and once she pursued it, there was no turning back. The filmmaker was elated to have discovered an enthusiastic companion. He enjoyed that she was eager to help him out when they first met; she seemed unfazed by whatever he could throw at her. They held intensive workshops to ensure that she was the perfect fit for the role and the film.
Ulajh also includes the names of all writers on the poster, which is a much-appreciated improvement. Saria thanked the studio for making that unusual call. He went on to say that it's wonderful to watch how Junglee Studios supports their creative abilities. As a team, they thought the story was Ulajh's most compelling feature. The studio deserves praise for its efforts to rectify the undervaluing of historical writers' work.