The story is basically about a rich spoilt kid from a privileged family involved in a hit-and-run case, killing six pavement dwellers in the dead of the night, and a small-town lawyer from Meerut, Jolly (Warsi) who takes on the case against the high and mighty attorney Rajpal (Irani) brought in to defend the rich lad. It takes a dig on the justice system and its loopholes and tries to bring to light great divides between the haves and the have-nots.Director/Writer: Subhash Kapoor
Music Director: Krsna
Actors: Boman Irani, Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao, Saurabh Shukla, Harsh Chhaya, Sanjay Mishra
The story is predictable but has its moments. While you won’t be surprised at the turn of events, it will have you chuckling and shaking your head. Writer-director Subhash Kapoor makes the story come alive with vivacious humor, one-liners and some touches of satire. The first half of the movie is light and goes nowhere in terms of storytelling but the pace picks up in the second half which is mostly courtroom drama.
Now here´s comes hitch. The screenplay is the lifeline of any film, and “Jolly LLB” suffers due to inept writing. Barring a couple of attention-grabbing moments, the rest is bland. But then, the actors come to the rescue.
Arshad Warsi is an underrated but brilliant actor who manages to bring his character to life, and plays the role of a poor but good lawyer to the hilt. Boman Irani is smooth, and with his eyebrow-raising and lip-curling demeanor, portrays the urbane, well-dressed, flawless English- speaking attorney without a glitch. The combination of Warsi and Irani is, as always, a delight to watch but the chemistry between them could’ve been better.
Amrita Rao, who plays Warsi’s love interest, is dismissible and unconvincing with dialogue delivery so poor you’ll wish you had brought earplugs to stop the whiny noise from reaching your brain.
Thankfully, she doesn’t hog the screen much. But to her credit, her lack of vanity is quite endearing.
Saurabh Shukla, as the wise old judge presiding over the case, shines. His sloppiness and indolence, as the munching-on-parathas with a towel clad over a starched white vest in between courtroom sessions, are riveting.
The editing isn’t crisp, and though the film doesn’t drag on, you wish you could fast forward through some bits. The narrative is jerky and not completely convincing. Even the end leaves you restless. Like you’ve watched a film and had to walk away without really knowing what happened in the end.
The music, though it gets you humming during the movie, is forgettable once you leave the theatre.
Though there are quite a few hiccups in the film overall, the three central characters, namely, Irani, Warsi, and Shukla, who carry the weight of the film on their shoulders, have done the best they could, and it shows. These characters and their character depictions are the saving graces of the film.
Occasionally emotional, at times melodramatic, quite often sharp and witty, this provocative courtroom drama is a one-time watch that you can and cannot afford to miss. You won’t regret either decision. The choice is yours!
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