SOME 'JOLLY' WATCHING..

I love watching this movie, especially when I try to sense a 'good' and 'humoured' satire in Hindi cinema.

Yes, the movie is not a masterpiece but has been lifted to a 'master sort' of level by brilliant performance of its actors, especially the character delivered to us by Saurabh Shukla - the eternal lower court judge - in his full flair - in his characterization's full tenacity.

The subject line is not so innovative but is popular enough to 'be sensitive to masses' - a drunk scion of a rich business family kills some people under his vehicle's wheels - and his 'superrich' family tries to manipulate and subvert the legal system to get him out.

We have seen it so many times in real life.

So, there is nothing new about it in the movie.

But, then, moviemaking is as much about the subject matter as it is about the treatment of the narrative.

A good narrative treatment can lift even an ordinary plot to the levels of a 'watchable feast'.

Here, a 'common but sensitive to masses' subject has been treated well by the director. In spite of routine song and dance sequences, transition from one frame to the next looks logical. The dialogues are punchy and 'poignant' at places - especially in the climax of the movie - the final scene that gives us all a 'jolly' feeling.

'Jolly LLB' is a treat to watch - because of some powerful acting by its central protagonists - the three legal eagles -  the brilliant lower court Justice and the good and the bad lawyers - and they are supported well by some supportive characters.

Anyone who has experienced how the Indian courts function, especially the lower courts, can correlate with the frame by frame development of the movie.

The judge, who ultimately proves that he is incorruptible and whatever he had said was basically part of the routine/social human behaviour, acts so naturally that one can identify him with what happens in natural settings.

The good lawyer is also a human being, like you and me, and finally evolves as a normal human being who is in a dogged pursuit to undo some wrong. Again, this is very human. Circumstances make, break and shape a man (or woman).

The bad lawyer is perennially bad and 'haughty'. He is cunning enough to see his profit in every move and goes to any extent to achieve his purpose. He does everything illegal to fulfil his objectives in his 'legal profession'. We can so easily identify him with real people in the said profession.

The high point of the film, in spite of its illogical but light-hearted humorous insertions, is that we act hooked to its scenes, especially the ones in the courtrooms and we spontaneously move from one frame to the next.

The film scores because most of its scenes are worth watching multiple times and we feel the need for its 'sequel' after the show is over.

And it was one of those 'jolly' times last night again while watching the movie (again) - with freedom of controlling the movement of its frames. 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/