Navjot Gulati wrote his latest directorial, Pooja Meri Jaan , six years ago. Produced by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films, the courtroom drama had been awaiting release for years before it dropped on ZEE5 earlier this month. Gulati, who had accused the production house of sidelining it amid its quest to build the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe, now insists that the discourse should be around what he’s addressed through the film , instead of around why it was stuck in limbo. “If you want to know about my struggles, watch Industry instead,” he says, referring to the 2024 miniseries on Amazon miniTV.

Pooja Meri Jaan revolves around a theatre actor facing a legal and media trial for allegedly abetting the suicide of her colleague, who was attracted to her and was found hanging inside his apartment after she rejected his marriage proposal. Given its thorny themes, Gulati is relieved, but also sad, that the film continues to be extremely relevant despite the delay in release.…