Jolly LLB

As suggested by the title the film is all about a confused struggling lawyer Jolly, who is still caught in the dilemma that, should a good lawyer fight a case for his own client or for the right justice which should ideally punish the culprit. Frankly, I was expecting a very light kind of comedy featuring Arshad Warsi in the lead, as shown in its promotional campaign on the channels. But it was really a pleasant surprise to see that it was not at all a comedy but a much important film than that, revealing the ugly faces of two primary social security institutions of our country namely The Courts and The Police Stations.

So evidently here is another example of a strong film promoted wrongly by the makers with a misleading message, which is sure going to affect its overall performance at the box office in the opening days. However if one forgets this avoidable step taken by the commercial promoters of the film then JOLLY LLB is no doubt, one of the better projects made in this particular genre of Court Room Dramas in Hindi cinema till date, which is bound to pick up fast as the word of mouth spreads.

The film starts off casually with the same old cliché elements and an unwanted song but soon gets on track after this initial weak 20 minutes. And the moment it gets on line, JLLB turns into an interesting sarcastic take on the judicial system of our country, giving the viewer a solid shock just before the interval. Further post the break it thankfully gives you some of the best scenes in the recent times on the subject of corruption, greedy lawyers, on-sale policemen, fake witnesses, easy going judges and the common man caught in between these dangerous termites of our society portrayed bluntly.

For instance, you must have heard that there is actually an underground bid held on the posting of SHOs in some important police stations of every city in the country. Now JOLLY LLB literally tells you how it is done in its own hilarious take. Plus it also has scenes where an old trembling policeman is appointed as the security guard for Arshad, a judge who calls the reputed lawyer "Sahab" repeatedly and then the so called respectable lawyer who openly says, "Yeh Court Hai, Yahan Kuchh Jaldi Nahin Hota" in front of the same judge, without any respect or hesitation. Eventually such intelligently directed scenes lead to a thoughtfully written climax in the court room itself which forces the viewer to clap for the proceedings on screen just effortlessly.

In fact, here the important distinctive plus point of the film is that it doesn't end on that normal routine Courtroom Drama sequence filled with immense tension and suspense. But here since one can easily predict the climax, the director puts in the much needed entertainment factor back in the last 40 minutes which in turn takes the film to a different level altogether. As a result the viewer has a great enjoyable time in its final reels where Arshad is highly emotional, Boman is extremely annoyed and Saurabh Shukla reinstates the spirit of justice back in the court quite impressively. In few words, JOLLY LLB fills you with great enthusiasm as it ends with Arshad winning the case against all odds being the honest representative of the common man.

On the flip side, the film does has its flaws in its completely predictable plot line, deliberately inserted love angles, unwanted below average songs and a misguiding promotional campaign. Yet, JOLLY LLB covers all these weak points with its strong merits and emerges as a clear winner in the finale as I felt. Admittedly, at one end the film has a regular kind of background score and cinematography but on the other it has some exceptionally performed acts entertaining you well enough in return of your amount spent on the theater tickets unarguably.

Both Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani are simply brilliant as the two opponents fighting in the court, well supported by a superb act from Saurabh Shukla as the judge. And you can easily watch the film for these three fabulous acts put together only, if not for anything else. Plus with the three above mentioned towering acts, JOLLY LLB also has few small gems to offer in its supporting cast which include, Mohan Agashe as the big industrialist,Ramesh Deo as the canteen owner, Manoj Pahwa as the Jeeja, Sandeep Bose as the corrupt cop, Harsh Chhaya as the fake witness, Mohan Kapoor as the father of the ignorant boy and Sanjay Mishra in a cameo as the Police bid organizer. However though it was nice to see Amrita Rao back after a long gap, still she doesn't get anything significant to do in the film as per its theme.

Overall, JOLLY LLB has 'a Rajkumar Hirani film' kind of feel which gives you full on entertainment in its content post intermission (which should be taken as a compliment for its director Subhash Kapoor). And since Hindi cinema has not really made many thoughtful entertaining court room dramas in the last few decades, therefore I would like to rate it as a must watch indeed from this particular angle. So do give it a chance and enjoy this powerful enjoyable drama with Arshad, Boman and the impeccable Saurabh Shukla having fun together.

Each & every time you move forward to have a closer look and a leaner ear to the drama, this movie scores for Jolly LLB is a fantastic thriller drama which showcases the maddening reality of India, its judicial system and people's wrath & lax attitude on crime.

A standing ovation to Boman Irani for such a beautiful and genuine performance as a senior advocate. Saurabh Shukla is faaantastic as the judge and towards the end, his ire-ridden, frustrated reply to one of the lawyers leading is just the best scene of the movie; JLLB runs for a sweet little about 2 hours with no cheap humor or blatant slapstick as one is continuously experiencing in Bollywood genres. Arshad Warsi is poignant and dramatic after his "Zila Ghaziabad" villainy look. Amrita Rao didn't have much to play, maybe that is why she was casted. After "I Love You Mr. Kalakaar," this is her latest role and she does good enough. The rest of the cast is good as the direction is cheeky.

Screenplay is straightforward while some songs made me yawn because the script didn't need them to entice me. The balance of thrills, spine- chills and oohs and aahs and whoas is equal on the two halves. Plus, since it is a based on a true story which is indeed based on vendetta, Jolly LLB is a pretty good entertainer with not much left for the audience to interpret other than enjoying it. I could forget some loopholes or plot points for this as it made my day.

BOTTOM LINE: Watch it if you have a thing for courtroom dramas or if you get emotional by the callous judicial system of India. 'Cause this one is a genuine entertainer based on sheer facts.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Language: Strong | Sex or Nudity: No | Violence: Strong | Gore: No | Smoking or Drugs: No | Alcohol: Mild

Jolly LLB is a rib-tickling comedy which is a satire on Indian Court process and judiciary.

A small time lawyer wants to make it big by enforcing himself in a hit- and-run case where 6 innocent footpath dwellers are mowed by a speeding car.

From the director of "Phas Gaye Re Obama" , Jolly LLB is based on a true incident which grabbed media attention few years back. It also showed another incident where a pregnant woman was operated by a 14 year old lad. Jolly LLB also focuses on our poor judiciary where a single case is bought at the hand of big goons who desperately try to save their kids brushing their mistakes as act of innocence. Hats off to Subhash Kapoor for fearlessly depicting these events with ease. Few acts did catch my attention- the introduction court scene , the court fight scene between two music directors and the argument between Saurabh Shukla and Boman Irani will certainly bring down the house. Of course , the film has its share of flaw as well - the chemistry between Amrita Rao and Arshad Warsi , the unnecessary insertion of songs and dance (completely unrequired in this kind of cinema). 3 central characters - Arshad Warsi , Boman Irani and Saurabh Suhkla will drive you nuts with their admirable performances. Arshad Warsi not emotes well in comic scenes but is commendable in essaying serious role as well. Boman Irani , as usual , is marvelous. Saurabh Shukla as judge is simply fantastic. He is sure to make you laugh with typical Delhi accent and comic timings.

Jolly LLB is pleasure to watch not just for its satirical humor on Indian Judiciary system, but always for its beautiful message on honesty and bravery.

I first saw this in a theatre, first day last show with my family.

Had a blast n loved the movie.

I found it very entertaining and absorbing. The movie is full of rich characters.

Saurabh Shukla as the judge is amazing.

What a terrific actor!

Arshad unquestionably steals the movie with another amazing performance of that of a lawyer willing to risk everything. Special mention has to go to Boman n Saurabh Shukla.

If u like court/lawyer movie, give this one a chance. This movie is an expose of the corruption, politics and general crookedness of the legal profession.

The movie does a good job of portraying both the human and systemic flaws of the legal system.

Moreover, the movie balances between comedy n drama.

Was highly anticipating its sequel. But lost all the zest once I read that Arshad is not part of the sequel.

That is y I felt the need to write a review of this good movie even if it's very late. The only drawback was the romance angle n songs but nonetheless, an awesome movie.

I agree with the comments, but Arshad Warsi was the best as shown from Meerut. The problem is with director who was unable to get Arshad into the Character. Everyone knows Arshad Warsi character in "Lage Raho Munna Bhai".

The film is a fun watch if you are willing to overlook its minor indulgences and the slow pace of the first half.

Jolly LLB's first half meanders a bit, featuring a clumsy 'daaru' song and a Meerut that mysteriously hides - but boy, does its second half hammer things home. With crackling scenes between Jolly versus Rajpal (Irani deadly smooth, like velvet soaked in blood) and Rajpal versus judge Tripathi (Shukla in a brilliant show, hysterically yelling, Gavel kidder-rakha Ha?!", thundering at Rajpal, "Sit down! Yeh Meara court Ha aapka club nahin!"), the action becomes electric. Drama builds as Jolly (Warsi, highly endearing and impressive) finds his voice. Jolly's astonishment at Rajpal's callousness - "Footpath sone ke liye nahin Ha" - Jolly responding, "Footpath gaudy chalane ke liye Bi nahin Ha!", mirrors the aam aadmi's bewilderment and determination to fight.

Jolly LLB works because of its bigger point - decency is for all and worth fighting for. Using bittersweet satire and plot twirls, the film shows corruption even used against the corrupt. Despite that weaker first half, this truly becomes a Jolly good show.