After Four Years in Limbo, ‘Pooja Meri Jaan’ Finally Lands on ZEE5

For a film that wrapped up shooting back in 2022, waiting almost four years to see the light of day feels a bit like watching paint dry – painfully slow and oddly agonising. That’s the fate of the thriller Pooja Meri Jaan, finally nudged onto the streaming scene by ZEE5 after a protracted saga of platform swaps and pricing rows.

The movie, directed by Navjot Gulati and backed by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films, stars Mrunal Thakur and Huma Qureshi in the lead roles. Both actresses have talked about the frustration of seeing their work sit on a shelf while fans kept asking, “When will it come out?”

Originally, the producers had a clear plan: a direct‑to‑digital launch on JioCinema. But when JioCinema merged with Disney+ Hotstar, the whole distribution picture turned fuzzy. The rights got tangled, negotiations stalled and the film slipped into a sort of administrative purgatory.

Enter ZEE5. The platform, eager to beef up its Hindi‑language portfolio, announced that Pooja Meri Jaan will be part of its upcoming slate. The exact release date is still under wraps, but the mere confirmation has sparked a wave of relief among the cast and crew.

Navjot Gulati, the film’s director, opened up earlier this year about the emotional toll the delay has taken. He said his father, who passed away in 2024, kept asking when the movie would finally reach audiences – a question that haunted him during his father's last months. Gulati also mentioned that co‑producer Amar Kaushik stopped replying after October 2025, leaving him feeling abandoned.

According to Gulati, the biggest stumbling block was a pricing dispute. Maddock Films, he claimed, was unwilling to let the film go for less than a certain amount, a stance that stalled any chance of an OTT deal. He even wondered why no one considered a theatrical release, pointing out that another OTT‑commissioned project, Vadh 2, eventually hit cinemas.

The prolonged limbo hasn’t just been a personal headache; it’s also impacted Gulati’s career. He confessed that producers are now hesitant to work with him because his debut is still unreleased, despite being fully finished. In a moment of desperation, Gulati said he’d be ready to buy back the film himself if the producers gave up.

In terms of content, Pooja Meri Jaan is a dark, contemporary thriller that delves into the unsettling world of stalking and cyber‑crime. Alongside Thakur and Qureshi, the cast features Vikram Singh Chauhan and Vijay Raaz in pivotal roles, with Niren Bhatt penning the screenplay and dialogues.

ZEE5 isn’t stopping at this one film. The platform has also rolled out a hefty Hindi‑content line‑up, including the series Kambli, The Scam: Leaked, Coffee King, and a revived Zee Horror Show. On the film front, titles like Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, Bandar, and a Kangana Ranaut‑led Bharat Bhagya Vidhata are on the horizon.

So, after years of waiting, it looks like audiences will finally get to watch Mrunal and Huma’s gripping performance. Whether the delay will have dulled the impact remains to be seen, but for now, the excitement of a long‑overdue premiere is palpable.