Movie review: Jolly LLB - Arshad, Boman, Saurabh excel

New Delhi, March 15: Ratings: ***Cast: Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani, Amrita Rao, Saurabh ShuklaDirector: Subhash KapoorThere have been many movies which take a dig at the dark, yet essential issues of the society. One of the cases, if we recall, has been in headlines for many years. That is of a hit and run case where a poor man living on a pavement is run over by a spoilt brat.Doesn't that beggar have a right to live or is it justifiable to claim that these people are meant to die if they sleep on the footpath?Director Subhash Kapoor of the critically acclaimed ‘Phas Gaye Re Obama' fame has picked up this issue and has hired Meerut advocate Arshad Warsi as Jagdish Tyagi aka ‘Jolly LLB'. To defend the accused we are introduced to the high profile and arrogant advocate Tejinder Rajpal played by the much talented Boman Irani, who has an undefatigible streak. The director is impeccable in describing the journey of an underdog lawyer who moves from Meerut to Delhi to prove his skill. Initially he has no interest in this Land Cruiser hit and run case but grabs it to come into the limelight of media and makes big in the judicial world. His basics are not clear, his English is abysmally poor and in the trailers he is seen penning the word prosecution as ‘prostitution' and appeal as ‘apple' in the PIL that he files when he reopens this high-profile case.There are plenty of things about this Meerut guy we fall in love with. There is nothing like an overnight change in his character but with his sheer unpolished knowledge and with his pledge to fight for right of a poor man, he battles out the case with honesty. But will he win? To know this, you surely need to enter this court which is judged by the big fat Saurabh Shukla.Doing a satire on the Richie Rich class through his courtroom drama, Subhash allows the cameraman to zoom his lens into the real court and their activities. In one scene, a lawyer seated outside the court persuades a victim to allow him to take his case. The lawyer convinces him not through legal tactics but through his "Astro" knowledge.Taking a dig at the lawyers, the director tries to portray not only our Jolly LLB as an illiterate advocate, but many working in our judicial system who work as 'middlemen'. With a pinch of humour, the director hits hard at the incongruencies in the present judicial system. Despite of some flaws in the technical department, the director is successful in portraying a perfect legal battle through its perfectly crafted characters and a tight script. There are few songs in the flick which could have been avoided as it spoils the mood and disturbs the flow. But as mentioned, the trio of Arshad Warsi- Boman Irani-Saurabh Shukla is at the heart of the drama. Special mention has to be made about Saurabh who is too good as the judge in the court. The scene where he takes over Rajpal for criticising him for violating the majesty of the court of law is just brilliant. It's the most hilarious among all the humorous scenes.Boman Irani is too good as an arrogant, overconfident and commanding advocate. He demands what he deserves for the case and so you can't call him greedy when he claims Rs 2 crore for the case. Arsahad Warsi is yet another brilliant performer. He is turning out to be more and more refined as it was seen in his flick ‘Zila Ghaziabad' where he stood apart with his role. And once again he never lets you down as ‘Jolly LLB'. Be his frustration, his confusion between right and wrong, his desperation to make big or be it an ‘akkhad'(stubborn) Meerut guy, he excels in all.Amrita Rao doesn't have much to display but whatever she gets, she does justice. Especially, in a scene where she makes Jolly realise that he would have claimed the same popularity and money if would have fought with honesty rather than making a deal with the opposition.I'll go with three stars for Kapoor's ‘Jolly LLB' which portrays the quirks in the judicial system and clears the misconception among the arrogant rich class about the pavement dwellers.