‘Ulajh’ movie review: Janhvi Kapoor is caught in an inept thriller

What sort of a spy movie is Sudhanshu Saria’s Ulajh? If that weren’t enough, the new film even has a song with ‘watan’ in its title — plastered, ineffectually, over the opening credits and thereby fast forgotten. As the film begins, we meet her on a diplomatic detail in Kathmandu; talking over the phone, she emphasizes “strategy” and “leverage,” but is instead reminded by her higher-up to simply “observe.” Suhana has a justifiable chip on her shoulder — because of her background, yes, but also because of her gender — which becomes all the more pronounced when she’s appointed Deputy High Commissioner to the UK, the youngest appointee to land the posting. Ulajh Director: Sudhanshu Saria Cast: Janhvi Kapoor, Gulshan Devaiah, Roshan Mathew, Adil Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, Jitendra Joshi, Alyy Khan Run-time: 134 minutes Storyline: Suhana, a promising young diplomat, is enmeshed in a conspiracy when serving a coveted posting in London From the beginning, Ulajh speaks a modern, multicultural tongue. Meiyang Chang prowls around in a thankless role, and when Nakul, claiming to be an ISI agent, gives his name as “Mohammad Humayun Akhtar,” it’s so obviously overwrought and anachronistic you just know it’s fake.