Jolly LLB 3

olly LLB 3’s backstory dates to 2011 in Parsaul, a remote village in Rajasthan. An aged farmer Rajaram Solanki doesn’t agree to sell his land to India’s richest businessman Haribhai Khetan (Gajraj Rao) for his ‘Bikaner To Boston’ residential complex project. He is then framed in a fake case about non-payment of dues. He loses the case. Dejected, he dies by suicide. But his wife Janaki (Seema Biswas) vows to get justice, not just for Rajaram but also for various other farmers, whose lives are negatively affected by the project. The story moves few years later in Delhi, where advocate Jagdishwar Mishra aka Jolly (Akshay Kumar) from Lucknow and advocate Jagdish Tyagi aka (also) Jolly from Meerut are always seen fighting over stealing each other’s cases in a lower court. The two can’t see eye to eye. One day, Janaki approaches them with her late husband and other farmers’ case. However, she no fees to pay to any of the two Jollys.

Film ideas often originate from a simple “spark”—a personal experience, a keen observation, or even an arbitrary thought—that is subsequently nurtured through creative techniques such as brainstorming, research, and writing. Once an idea takes root and begins to blossom, there’s no turning back for the creator. Following the phenomenal success of Jolly LLB (2013), writer-director Subhash Kapoor drew inspiration from the complexities of the Indian legal system, rather than from a specific case, and capitalized on this concept with the sequel Jolly LLB 2 (2017). Now, the third instalment in the series, Jolly LLB 3, continues this tradition, promising yet another legal comedy-drama that blends elements from real judicial cases into entertaining, and often humorous, narratives that highlight both the legal system and its human side. Directed by Kapoor, the film stars Akshay Kumar, Arshad Warsi, and Saurabh Shukla, with Amrita Rao and Huma Qureshi reprising their roles from the previous films. The plot is inspired by the 2011 land acquisition protests in Uttar Pradesh.

Most of us grew up with elders who constantly chimed, “Do not waste food.” On one hand, it was the sentiment that a wasted serving could have fed someone poor. On the other hand, they knew the effort it takes to harvest a basket full of cauliflowers or tomatoes. Having grown up (and past these ideas), we now casually discard food if the preparation isn’t to our liking. But where do the raw materials come from? After all, a typical Indian dish requires ten ingredients, including oil. In Subhash Kapoor’s Jolly LLB 3, we take a riveting trip down those lanes – into the thankless lives of Indian farmers, steeped in poverty and systemic neglect. As we know, Jolly LLB 3 is a franchise film where a not-so-smart lawyer (Arshad Warsi and/or Akshay Kumar) takes on the system and earns justice for a needy person or community. Also, the guys share a common name. Jolly No. 1 (Arshad Warsi) and Jolly No. 2 (Akshay Kumar) practice in a Delhi court, and their squabbles over hijacking each other’s clients are a running joke.

We all loved Arshad Warsi as Jolly LLB. We were equally entertained by Akshay Kumar-starrer part two, but sorely missed the absence of OG Jolly Arshad. So when part three brings them both together, clearly, expectations are raised exponentially. The writer-director of all three instalments, Subhash Kapoor, once again manages to blend comic with gravitas, wit with righteousness. Third time may lose some of its inherent charm, but is not a lost cause either. Indeed, like its prequels, ‘Jolly LLB 3’ has a huge conscience. The preface establishes the burning concern of farmers’ land acquisition and steeps the narrative in emotional gravity and dignity. Despite a serious start, it leapfrogs to the antics of the two endearing Jollys. Akshay is Advocate Jagdishwar ‘Jolly’ Mishra. Arshad is Advocate Jagdish ‘Jolly’ Tyagi.

Is Subhash Kapoor the last surviving socialist of Hindi cinema? With Jaideep Sahni in semi-retirement, and belligerents like Dibakar Banerjee put out to pasture, all hope seems to rest with Kapoor. His Jolly LLB movies are animated by a public spirit that doesn’t feel condescending or blasé. Kapoor knows how and when to play it safe, which explains the franchise’s longevity. In a Bollywood that now panders openly to the status quo, these films whisper, if not directly speak, inconvenient truths to power. The latest entry, Jolly LLB 3, is the most urgently confrontational Kapoor has ever made. It is also, I’m sorry to report, the weakest link in the franchise. The satirical silliness of the previous two films — terrorists dressed as monks, an impromptu musical match in court — is given short shrift in Jolly LLB 3; weighty intentions halt the film’s stride. Arshad Warsi and Akshay Kumar return as the homonymous Jollys in a comedy bogged down by messaging and meaning. It’s that most frustrating kind of movie-going deal—agreeable politics hamstrung by a shaky screenplay.

लेखक-निर्देशक सुभाष कपूर ने 2013 में आई ‘जॉली एल.एल.बी.’ में एक हिट एंड रन केस के बहाने से सिस्टम की खामियों पर बात की थी। उस फिल्म के रिव्यू में मैंने लिखा था कि जब आप के हाथ में हथौड़ा हो तो चोट भी ज़ोरदार करनी चाहिए। यह चोट उन्होंने 2017 में आई ‘जॉली एल.एल.बी. 2’ में एक फेक एनकाऊंटर के बहाने से सचमुच बड़े ही ज़ोरदार ढंग से की थी। इस फिल्म को मैंने एक ‘करारा कनपुरिया कनटॉप’ बताया था। अब इस तीसरी वाली ‘जॉली एल.एल.बी. 3’ में सुभाष कपूर ने अपने पंखों को फैलाया है और विकास के नाम पर आम लोगों के साथ होने वाली संगठित धोखाधड़ी को दिखाने का प्रयास किया है। यह कहानी है राजस्थान के परसौल नाम के एक ऐसे गांव की जहां एक बड़ा प्रोजेक्ट बनाने के लिए एक बिज़नेस ग्रुप किसानों से ज़मीन खरीद रहा है। इस काम में स्थानीय नेताओं से लेकर प्रशासन तक उसका मददगार है। कुछ ने ज़मीन अपनी मर्ज़ी से बेची तो किसी की हथिया ली गई। जिसने विरोध किया उसकी आवाज़ दबा दी गई। ऐसे ही एक किसान की खुदकुशी के बाद उसकी विधवा ने दिल्ली की अदालत में दस्तक दी जहां उसे मिले वकील जगदीश त्यागी उर्फ जॉली और जगदीश्वर मिश्रा उर्फ जॉली। इन दो जॉलियों और उस पूंजीपति की तिकड़मों की भिड़ंत के बहाने से यह फिल्म हमें ‘विकास’ के नाम पर होने वाली साज़िशों और सिस्टम की चालों को न सिर्फ करीब से दिखाती है बल्कि उन पर करारी टिप्पणियां करते हुए एक बार फिर उस उम्मीद को ज़िंदा रखती है कि अभी भी हमारे चारों तरफ सब कुछ मरा नहीं है।