Sometimes, a role comes knocking. And sometimes, an actor knows she has to knock on the filmmaker’s door herself. For Mrunal Thakur, Pooja Meri Jaan was firmly the latter. Drawn to its provocative premise, the actor was so determined to play the titular character that she volunteered to audition for a role that had not even been offered to her. The film’s central idea was enough to convince her: what happens when a woman’s right to say no is questioned, and her refusal is treated not as a decision but as an invitation to try harder? “I’ve to be a part of it,” Thakur recalled thinking when her agent told her about the project. Speaking to PTI, she said she approached producer Dinesh Vijan and insisted on auditioning. “Sir, you’ve got to cast me. I’ve to play Pooja,” she recalled telling him. Known for performances in films such as Sita Ramam, Hi Nanna, Super 30, Batla House and Dacoit, Thakur said characters with such emotional range are rare. She was delighted that Vijan and director Navjot Gulati trusted her to take on the demanding role. When rejection becomes a public trial In Pooja Meri Jaan, Thakur plays a free-spirited woman who rejects a marriage proposal from her longtime friend.

 

 

Following his death by suicide and the discovery of a note blaming her, Pooja finds herself facing public condemnation. Her lawyer friend Sana, played by Huma Qureshi, steps in to defend her. The premise raises uncomfortable questions about consent, emotional responsibility and society’s tendency to scrutinise women for decisions they have every right to make. Is a woman obligated to reciprocate affection simply because someone has feelings for her? Does rejection make her responsible for another person’s choices? The film challenges such assumptions, shifting the focus from a woman’s refusal to the social pressures that follow it. A conversation that changed perspectives For Thakur, the film’s impact became especially tangible during a recent visit to Delhi. She recalled meeting a man in his forties who thanked her because the story had helped him understand consent differently. He admitted that, during college, he and his friends had encouraged a friend to keep pursuing a girl who repeatedly said no. They had believed persistence was romantic, without considering the pressure it placed on her. The man told Thakur that the film had helped him see the situation from the woman’s perspective. For the actor, such conversations demonstrate how cinema can prompt reflection beyond the screen. Sometimes, the most important shift is not a dramatic change of heart but the realisation that behaviour once considered harmless may have made someone uncomfortable or distressed.

 

Beyond the screen Thakur said the response to Pooja Meri Jaan had been overwhelming. She is also pleased that the performance has brought her new opportunities, describing it as gratifying when filmmakers recognise an actor’s work and approach them with future projects. The film, which also features Vijay Raaz, Sunita Rajwar and Vikram Singh Chauhan, is streaming on ZEE5.Ultimately, Pooja Meri Jaan makes a simple but essential point: affection does not create entitlement, persistence does not override consent, and rejection is not a challenge to be conquered.In a culture that often celebrates the pursuit of love without examining its boundaries, perhaps the bravest response is also the simplest one: hear the no, respect it, and stop there. n