At times the series feels like an OTT version of Subhash Kapoor’s 'Jolly LLB'. But still, this Rahul Pandey's directorial is very much its own best.
A poster of the series 'Maamla Legal Hai'. (X)
Subjects revolving around courtrooms and lawyers always make for an interesting subject. Reason: They represent a form of hope for a common man as Saurabh Shukla’s judge Sunderlal Tripathi says at an important juncture in Jolly LLB 2 (2017).
Subhash Kapoor’s Jolly LLB films engaged the audience thoroughly with witty dialogues and touched upon different social topics.
For example, Jolly LLB (2013) was about a hit-and-run case. It was about the death of some labourers who were run over by a land cruiser while sleeping on the footpath.
Jolly LLB 2 was related to a fake encounter. To begin with, in both films, the protagonists are not very likeable advocates. But they grow a conscience as the plot moves along.
Now, you have Maamla Legal Hai set in the district court of Patparganj. The eight episodes portray a variety of eccentric cases inspired by real-life stories.
VD Tyagi (Ravi Kishan) is a street-smart advocate who aspires to become the bar association president. Tyagi excels at finding loopholes in the legal system to win cases.
He has two assistants who are hilariously nicknamed as law and order.
Sujatha (Nidhi Bhist) dreams of having her chamber one day.
Ravi Kishan in ‘Maamla Legal Hai’. (X)
Vishwas Pandey (Anant V Joshi) is the court manager.
Ananya Shroff (Naila Grewal) is a Harvard-returned advocate with dreams of providing legal aid to the underserved. However, she faces a harsh reality in Patparganj.
In simple terms, the story deals with the wacky nature of the district court and some small-town problems.
Director Rahul Randey deserves distinction marks for how he packages serious issues while maintaining the entertainment quotient.
He touches upon how the strikes of lawyers affect the cases, the connubial rights of prisoners, etc.
Among the many bizarre cases, my favourite one is that of a husband who wants a divorce because his wife does not feel shy during their wedding night.
This may be as unbelievable but at the end of the episode, you have a newspaper clipping showing how this had really happened.
The web series also makes a strong statement on how law and justice are two very different beasts; they should be the same in the ideal world though. This comes out firmly in an episode where Naila Grewal’s character faces a moral predicament while tackling a case.
Naila Grewal in ‘Maamla Legal Hai’. (X)
The characters have been written with a lot of care. A good example of nuanced writing is Ananya’s constant dilemma regarding her idealism that clashes with pragmatism.
Though she is well-versed in law, there are junctures where the reality sets in and Ananya‘s desire to deliver justice takes a step back.
Similarly, Ravi Kishan’s VD Tyagi may come across as very cunning but he has his humanity, which comes out strongly in a particular episode.
About the performances, Ravi Kishan leads the ensemble with his brilliant performance. The actor does a swell job of portraying the transformation that his character goes through, from being shrewd he comes to understand the power bestowed on him.
However, the complicated relationship of Tyagi with his father needed to be better explored.
At times, the show gets into a melodramatic zone, which doesn’t gel with the overall tonality.
Among the other actors, Nidhi Bisht also makes a big impact with her comic timing and matches up to Ravi Kishan.
Naila Grewal, as an outsider to this bizarre world, also fares well in portraying the existential crisis.
Anant V Joshi’s character is pretty similar to the one in 12th Fail (2023), but he is still fine in what he does.
Maamla Legal Hai is a hilarious satire that needs to be watched for its social commentary and striking performances.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
Apr 27, 2024
Apr 27, 2024
Apr 27, 2024
Apr 27, 2024
Apr 27, 2024
