The first two films of the Jolly LLB franchise both having registered comfortable successes at the box-office, it is somewhat surprising that the third of the franchise took so late in being made. Bringing together Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi as the struggling advocates as well as Saurabh Shukla as the lovable judge Sunderlal Tripathi, Jolly LLB 3 had held great promise of being a brilliant comedy, full of wicked one-liners, inside jokes and unadulterated laughter. And though the film does disappoint on this count, its presentation of a story that is real, rooted and relatable, manages to strike a chord in the hearts of the audience.
Inspired by a real incident, Jolly LLB 3 is directed by Subhash Kapoor and deals with the theme of rural displacement. It confronts us with a legal case in which a poor farmer’s widow refuses to give up her land and protests against a powerful businessman who wants to take over the entire village for the development of an ambitious project. This brings the perpetually bickering Jollys together to fight for a common cause and sets the stage for a courtroom drama that has the duo collaborate in a case presided over by Shukla’s Tripathi.
The serious and sensitive nature of the case putting a hold on further tomfoolery by the duo, the laughs in Jolly LLB 3 come in spurts and stutters when one or the other goofs up in court or out of it. Unlike the earlier films in the franchise, there is no frantic action, investigation, interrogation or even suspense involved in this case. It is crystal clear from the outset that Janki Devi has been victimised and cheated because of her poverty and powerlessness. The evidence against Janki Devi misplaced or deliberately manipulated, the verdict of this case depends on advocates Jagadishwar Mishra and Jagdish Tyagi’s ability to exploit loopholes in their much more powerful opponent’s attestations.
Seema Biswas as Janki Devi, the poor displaced widow, delivers a moving but understated and dignified performance. Gajraj Rao’s portrayal of Haribhai Khetan, the sly, corrupt and unscrupulous businessman, is classic, correct and calculated. Kharaj Mukherjee’s talent, though, seems wasted in the short but significant role given to him as a corrupt bureaucrat who has been bought over by the industrialist, while Ram Kapoor as the suave, shrewd legal counsel of Khetan is the stark opposite of the two Jollys, who, to their credit, never allow themselves to be intimidated by his impeccable English-speaking skills or his urbane smartness.
Saddled with a 157-minute runtime and a straightforward plot to unfold, Jolly LLB 3 starts off at a slow pace, spending a fair amount of time reintroducing the main characters and establishing the Jolly LLB cinematic universe in great detail. The rivalry between the two Jollys is depicted as genuinely amusing. Judge Tripathi’s characterisation is also done with a lot of humour, and full credit to the master actor for pulling off his role that required a delicate balance between his levity as a widower on the lookout for romance and gravity as a conscientious judge serious about delivering due justice.
One of the most striking aspects of Jolly LLB 3, which makes watching the film fun and enjoyable, is the contrasting styles of comedy of Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi. While the former is loud, over-the-top and often very physical in his attempts to elicit laughs, the latter’s comedy depends on low-key, expressionless dialogues and cleverly disguised mischievous acts.
The tipping point of Jolly LLB 3 comes quite late in the day and occurs just when audiences start to feel a bit restless about the way Janki Devi’s case is progressing. The sudden eruption of violence and bloodshed is shocking and unexpected, but is just what was needed to make the audience root more strongly for her victory. What lifts the film and salvages it from becoming an average watch is the emotion and quiet intensity shown by the two namesakes as they give their all to turn the tables on Khetan and his team. The concluding monologue by Warsi’s Jolly in court, which simply and effectively raises a question about the choices denied to the poor, is perhaps the moment of epiphany for audiences of this film.
Full of action, emotion and conflicts, Jolly LLB 3 is a story told with a lot of humour and realism. Reflecting the ironies of India’s socio-economic progress, it underlines the massive divide and disconnect between the urban and rural, rich and poor, which lies at the heart of most problems that our country is faced with today.
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