Jolly LLB [2013]

Jolly LLB is an interesting mainstream film. Except for the gritty opening sequence, the director never made any bones about the fact that this was anything but an escapist film intended to appease its viewers – particularly the urban educated kind. Yet, for all its “feel good” nature and commercial aspirations, it was based on a rather grim subject and was also a mild satire on the Indian legal system. The titular Jolly (Arshad Warshi) is a mediocre small-time lawyer who moves to Delhi to try his luck. There, while it starts as a move to gain quick popularity, he ends up becoming embroiled in a hit-and-run case where a rich young lad has crushed poor pavement dwellers to death while speeding under the influence of alcohol. To make matters worse for him, he is up against a high-profile advocate (Boman Irani) for whom ends justifies the means, and has enough money to fortify his case. It was clearly discernible as to who the good and who the bad guys were – there were hardly any gray areas in the film. Further, it was also obvious how the story would end, and that justice would be served, even if, in a cheeky display of wit, only for a day or two. But, that said, the director did use the canvas to provide some commentary on the matter – even if they were undeniably simplistic, and injected the script with humour and tongue-in-cheek fun. However, it was also peppered with gaping holes, and was unapologetically cinematic in its rendition of justice. The acting was good, with Saurabh Shukla brilliant as the unconventional judge presiding over the case. Amrita Rao looked cute as Jolly’s peppy fiancée.

Director: Subhash Kapoor
Genre: Comedy/Social Satire
Language: Hindi
Country: India