Law and behold. The judge out here is as sweet as choc-o-fudge, his expresssionless wonder of an attendant never does budge. And there are scattershot moments when – vis-à-vis the court’s cleanliness and general orderliness, our nyayadhish goes wink-wink-nudge-nudge.
Needless to add, the jocose judge of State vs Jolly LLB 2, written-directed by Subash Kapoor, is the show-stealer of the second edition of the thodasa jolly ho jaaye franchise. Niiice. The BIG question though is whether the encore piece is as compelling and cracklingly crisp as the first outing of Jollywood. Nope, sob and sigh, it isn’t. However, if you’re the sort who abhors odious comparisons, here’s a 148-minuter which is surely a notch or two above the commonplace. After all, it has something purposeful to state, besides moving at a fairly brisk clip. Hurray, hip hip.
Image Source: youtube/FoxStarHindi
A wrap-up speechlet informs you that the ratio between pending court cases and the man-power to judge them is woefully abysmal. Got that, thank you. Trolley over, then, to a mohalla of courts and tin-shed chambers. Since it’s Lucknow, there’s much paan chewing, banter about kababs, and uh oh khullam khulla cheating at school examinations. In this milieu, apna Jolly (Akshay Kumar), born to a clerk, can neither bite nor bark, never mind his certified lawyer’s degree. Eeeee.
Of indeterminate age, Jolly-ho commits a grave error and is pricked by that thorn called conscience. Now, he must redeem himself by winning the case of a lifetime, involving terrorist activities (which means a quickie trip to Kashmir under snow), handling a whisky-swigging wife (Huma Qureshi, disappointingly vapid) who longs to wear Gucci outfits. Other activities entail bathing a tubby son, enduring a nightmare straight out of a horror flick and assuring a rather confused dad about how there’s always a light-bulb at the end of a tunnel. All work, no play (unless you count a Holi splash), by now, are getting your goatee. Ho-ho-hum.
Gratifyingly the second-half gets to the nitty-gritty of the subject, grabbing you by the collar. Jolly assumes the responsibilty of a rebel with a cause, especially during the extended finale where there must be ‘khoon ka khoon and paani ka paani’ once and for all.
Jolly’s opposing lawyer, a smoothie shake (Annu Kapoor) pulls out every vile trick in the book to defend a creepier than a snake police officer (Kumud Mishra). Next: believe it or faint a dharna ensues in the grungy courtroom. And chances of fair justice are as remote as a business class air-trip to the moon.
To avoid spoilers suffice it to say, the penultimate scenes and even the end vignette are a zinger. All quite entertainingly and plausibly done. Caution: don’t expect the hard realism of the Marathi film Courtroom or Saeed Mirza’s Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho here. Thoroughly at home in the la la land of a fantasy world, director Subhash Kapoor uses the Bollywood matrix to make his points on the Kafkaesque legal system effectively enough.
Image Source: youtube/T-Series
On the minus side, the music score is nothing to hum-de-hum about. Anil Mohile’s background score often shouts for volume control. And the cinematography is so over-lit on occasion that your reach for your dark glasses (not Gucci).
Excessive references are needlessly made to Bollywood to raise a titter. Seriously, do you expect even the zaniest lawyer to ask someone in the dock, “So when do you think Salman Khan will get married?” And hello Alia Bhatt is referred to a lovable brand of Madhubala, Madhuri Dixit and more. Cute? Hardly.
Overwhelmingly, insights are offered not only into legalese (a menu card offers rates for getting the grossly guilty off the hook) but also into quite a few aspects of trifling with the scourge of terrorism. Doubtlessly, there’s a storyline with a firm spine here.
Over to the acting quotient. Akshay Kumar is absolutely inspired and believable. Fingers crossed that the actor won’t return to those rowdy rascala type of brain-marauders. Annu Kapoor as the quicksilver tongued-lawyer is perfect-o. And there’s a wonderfully-nuanced cameo by Sayani Gupta, as a young Muslim woman driven to despair. Hopefully, Ms Gupta is here to stay.
Above all Saurabh Shukla as the judge, habituated to bouts of moodiness and yet sharp as a blade, is outstanding. The extra half-star for Jolly LLB 2 is just for enjoying the pleasure of his company once more with feeling.
Thumbnail Image Source: youtube/foxstar-hindi & twitter/akshaykumar