Arshad Warsi returns on the big screen as the hero of a movie after a long time. Best remembered for his role as Circuit in the Munnabhai series, Arshad has had very few solo releases in his 15 year acting career. So, is his latest release any good? Well, yes and no.
Note: Review might contain spoilers! You have been warned!
As the title suggests, Arshad is a lawyer by profession. He practices in Meerut where opportunities are few and far between. The prospect of a better future lure him to the country’s capital where he believes he can become a "star lawyer".
The movie follows his journey from one of the "also rans" to a man who is famous and respected. Yes, this is a well and truly hackneyed plot but the movie still remains praise worthy.
While watching the movie, I noticed a few interesting points that the director has touched upon and which add volumes to the quality of the movie experience.
The beginning of the movie clearly highlights the stiff competition amongst professionals present today as even after completing their LLB course, most lawyers have to sit outside the courts and ply their trade like hawkers to attract clients. Law is supposed to be one of the noblest professions yet massive disillusionment is faced by most fresh graduates when they start out. In fact, Arshad Warsi’s character(Jolly Tyagi) is desperate enough to pose as a terrorist to earn a few quick bucks. Professional ethics anyone?
That being said, are these young "professionals" really good enough to be a part of the judicial system of the largest democracy in the world? Most of them cannot spell "affidavit" and Jolly himself spells "prosecution" as "prostitution"! As a citizen of our country as well as a law student, I fear for the people of India. That’s not all! The movie correctly points out that freshers are unaware of standard court procedures!
Also, people filing PILs simply to attract attention and establish themselves is a worrying sign. Especially in India, where the Courts are already overburdened with cases.
These are subtle points that the director has used with good effect to elicit a range of emotions from his audience - from sympathy to indifference.
The courtroom scenes produce drama and laughter(only sometimes intentional) for the viewer. Senior lawyers(Boman Irani’s Rajpal) walk around the courtroom randomly while arguing, Arshad Warsi is improperly dressed in Court for the most part and the penalty for lying in Court is to imitate a chicken in the witness box.
Also, there is only one Judge presiding over criminal as well as civil matters! Ridiculous! Some of the drama and humour though hits home. The lying chauffeur becoming a chicken in the witness stand and Arshad’s bodyguard’s entry are really funny.
Arshad Warsi and Boman irani carry on their good chemistry from the Munnabhai series and both look and behave like their characters. Their tussle inside and outside the courtroom provides depth to the movie.
Adding little to the movie is the wafer thin romance between Jolly and Sandhya(Amrita Rao). The romance seems forced and the love and marriage songs are downright silly.
Watch this movie because:
It is not very predictable.
Arshad & Boman together on screen.
No other good movie in the theatres.
The timing of the release has helped this movie greatly because no big ticket movie releases at this time due to exams and the annual summer circus in India(IPL). As a result, this movie has done better business than expected.
Go in without expectations and you won’t be disappointed! Just bear through the songs though. They are quite silly.