Jolly LLB 2 Movie Review: Akshay Kumar “Courts” Comedy

Jolly LLB 2 - Movie Review

jolly-llb-2

Jolly LLB, the 2013 courtroom comedy was a wholesome entertainer. Comedy, entertainment, romance, drama – you name it and the movie had it. So if you fell in love with this Arshad Warsi starrer and have been waiting eagerly for its sequel, Jolly LLB 2 is here. Very few Bollywood sequels have outshone their predecessor and Jolly LLB 2 may well be one of the films that managed this mammoth task.

Movie – Jolly LLB 2

Starring – Akshay Kumar, Huma Qureshi, Annu Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, Manav Kaul, Inaamulhaq, Sayani Gupta, Nikhil Dwivedi, Shubhangi Latkar, and Arshad Warsi (cameo)

  • Directed by – Subhash Kapoor
  • Produced by – Fox Star Studios
  • Story & Screenplay by – Subhash Kapoor
  • Background Score by – Vishal Khurana
  • Duration – 2 hours 20 min
  • Genre – Comedy, Satire, Drama
  • Censor Rating – U/A

While Bollywood fans eagerly awaited Akshay Kumar’s new release, Jolly LLB 2 started to make news and attract its share of controversies. From taking on a footwear major to being reviewed by the Chief Justice of India himself, the movie has courted (pun intended) criticism. Turning a blind eye to these news bytes, director Subash Kapoor has dished out his first hit of the year.

Jolly LLB 2 is a complete entertainment package, a movie that raises the right questions about India’s justice system while bringing us moments of fun and laughter at the same time.

The Plot

Ask any avid moviegoer and Bollywood fan (someone who has watched Jolly LLB) to predict the plot of Jolly LLB 2 and he or she may just get it right.

Jagdishwar Mishra (Akshay Kumar) aka Jolly, is a lawyer from Kanpur who practices in the Lucknow High Court. Jolly sets out to build his career as a ‘vakil‘ but we know how tough that can be, especially when it seems to be a really popular career choice and when the established heavyweights of the industry are in no mood to promote novices. So our hero is in search of the one breaking case that may launch him into limelight and does not mind taking the less-than-moral shortcut to success.

Wife Pushpa (Huma Qureshi) tries to restore his sense of pride and honesty but doesn’t quite manage it. But when such a case does eventually come along, Jolly’s conscience buzzes the wake up alarm and the lawyer takes a plunge into the virtuous pool of ideals, morals and truth. This along with the quirks and oddities of other key players in the legal system, such as veteran lawyer Mathur (Annu Kapoor) and Justice Sunderlal Tripathi (Saurabh Shukla) make up the bulk of this entertainer.

The Performance

The Akshay Kumar we knew from the Khiladi movies of yesteryears is not the Akshay who wows us with his presence and his spectacular acting skills these days. Continuing with the trend of Airlift and Rustom, Akshay has put up a splendid performance in Jolly LLB 2. Make no mistake, veteran actor Annu Kapoor has given him a run for his money and Saurabh Shukla shines out with his near-perfect histrionics.

Jolly LLB 2 Music Review

Jolly LLB 2’s music album is in fact a medley. The four tracks have been composed by various artists. Given the theme and the composure of the film, some of the songs do come across as imposed. The Qawaali number ‘O Re Rangreza’ is a power-packed song. ‘Jolly Good Fellow’ is a fun track and the remaining songs are merely average.

 

Soundtracks –

Go Pagal

Lyrics – Manj Musik, Raftaar

Music – Manj Musik, Nilesh Patel

Singer(s) – Raftaar, Nindy Kaur

Length – 2:52

 

Bawara Mann

Lyrics – Junaid Wasi

Music – Chirantan Bhatt

Singer(s) – Jubin Nautiyal, Neeti Mohan

Length – 3:34

 

Jolly Good Fellow

Lyrics – Shabbir Ahmed

Music – Meet Bros, Komail

Singer(s) – Meet Bros, Earl Edgar (English rap)

Length – 3:52

 

O Re Rangreza

Lyrics – Junaid Wasi

Music – Vishal Khurana

Singer(s) – Sukhwinder Singh, Murtuza Mustafa and Qadir Mustafa

Length – 4:52

 

What’s Good?

We’re tempted to say that Akki is the star of Jolly LLB 2 but we must admit that it is the theme that takes the top spot. Taking a real hard look at the dark and murky side of the Indian legal system is something most writers and artists have shied away from, but this Bollywood flick is a satire that forces us to wake up. If art is meant to be a commentary of society, this film succeeds spectacularly.

The actors have all dished out a movie worth spending your money and time on and Kamal Jeet Negi’s snips and cuts have been placed to perfection.

What’s Bad?

The one big challenge with producing a sequel is that viewers often tend to make comparisons and reviews tend to be harsher. While we admit that Akshay Kumar could have been the only one to replace Arshad Warsi as our own Jolly, we did kind of miss the Warsi magic. Another parameter by which Jolly LLB 2 falls short of its prequel is the sheer simplicity of the Warsi starrer.

In his effort to come up with a bigger, better film, Subhash Kapoor added a tad bit more spice and melodrama than was necessary. This dilutes the rock solid theme at times. If you haven’t watched Jolly LLB (2013), you may not notice these bits and you’re sure to have a complete entertainer on your hands.

Our Verdict

Jolly LLB 2 is a film worth its name and your money. This Akshay starrer will not disappoint but if you start to miss Arshad, do look out for his cameo appearance.

Rating – 3.5 stars