‘Films show us that a woman’s no means yes’: Mrunal Thakur opens up about doing Pooja Meri Jaan

Mrunal Thakur

In every actor's filmography, there are certain stories that feel worth the wait, even if it's years-long. For Mrunal Thakur, Pooja Meri Jaan is one such film. It may have taken four years for the social thriller to see the light of day, but now, it's bringing her love. "I usually don't check my DMs, but the messages and love that I am receiving is beyond everything. They say when the time is right, things [fall in place]," she told mid-day.

Navjot Gulati's directorial venture sees Thakur play the titular character, who is accused of driving her friend to suicide as she rejected his romantic advances. The actor's decision to front the Hindi Zee 5 movie, which also stars Huma Qureshi and Vikram Singh Chauhan, was led by a simple motivation - shed light on the male entitlement and toxic behaviour that sometimes come with unrequited love.

A still from the film. Pics/Youtube, Instagram

"It's [all] around us. Films show male friends telling the hero, ‘Tu aur try kar, woh maan jayegi', or that a woman's no means yes. Haven't we heard ‘Uski naa mein bhi haan hai'? You can't get anyone's love without their consent. That's why it was important for me to do the film," she shared, adding that rejection is a bitter pill to swallow for some men. "When their love isn't reciprocated, some men assassinate the woman's character. Many lie about being intimate with the woman, [seeing it] as a flex."

Pooja Meri Jaan also hits close to home for Thakur, whose best friends had developed feelings for her. "When I said no to both, they started calling me names. When I confronted them years later, they said, ‘We had no idea we bullied you'," she recalled.