SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 (PAGE 4) MOVIE-REVIEW SOCIETY A powerful courtroom drama Stop Ragging OLLY LLB 2 is a satirical courtroom drama that comments on the legal system as a whole and the effect that the judi- Dr. Jyoti Sharma way. It makes one change one' eccentric behavior. It creates Jcial system has on the common man. The film starts off self- awareness. Those who endure it get embolden. They with the ‘two-wheeler’ entry of Jagadishwar Mishra aka ‘Jolly’, The main objective of ragging is to 'break become courageous. They get used to facing hardships in life. the very man who becomes instrumental in the mass-copying of They learn to face unpleasant situation boldly. Many a time, it the school children’s English exams. So much confidence Jolly the ice' between the senior students and is seen that the juniors and the seniors become very good friends has in his English, that he claims that even ‘Obama’s mother the new entrants. By means of an interaction, cannot fail any student’ this time. Amidst all this, Jolly, who after the ragging period. works as an assistant to the extremely renowned lawyer Rizvi they get close and know each other. Conclusion: In the beginning, 'ragging' was an amusing saab, keeps on dreaming about breaking free from the ‘clutches’ practice. It has degenerated into an evil. It has become a syn- But in practice, it is nothing but a kind of torture. Ragging onym for 'torture'. It should be banned. The supreme court of of his boss and go independent. In an attempt to realise his is any disorderly conduct whether spoken or written or by an dream, Jolly lands up cheating a helpless and pregnant Hina India has defined it as. "Any disorderly conduct whether by act which causes annoyance, hardship or psychological harm words spoken, or written or by act which adversely affect the Siddiqui (Sayani Gupta), whose husband was killed in a fake or raises fear or shame in a student. It is generally committed encounter. When Hina realizes that she had got cheated by Jolly, physique or psyche of fresher or a junior student is an act of by 'senior' students, upon the first year students. Ragging gen- she commits suicide. The news of Hina’s suicide disturbs Jolly ragging." But if through ragging the decency and morals are vio- erally takes place in colleges and hostels. They are many tales immensely that he starts getting nigtmares about her. As repen- lated, one's body gets injured, if any wrongful restraint and tance, Jolly decides to take up the case for which Hina had given of torture and humiliation that are associated with ragging. The criminals intimidation is involved in it, then ragging becomes up her life. No sooner Jolly decides to take up the case, he is new students feel that they are in for a series of practical jokes a legal offence. For such cases, there are certain punishments faced with strong opposition in the form of the superlatively at the hands of the senior students. Once they fall experienced and ‘street smart’ Pramod Mathur (Annu Kapoor), into the clutches of the latter, they don't find a way who represents the case on behalf of his client, the accused to escape. There are a few senior students in every Inspector Suryaveer Singh (Kumud Mishra). The man in charge hostel who don't take enough interest in studies. of delivering the judgment is the Bollywood-loving Justice They indulge in ragging, bullying etc. They create Sunderlal Tripathi (Saurabh Shukla), who, despite his frail heart an image of themselves as rowdies. No one dares to condition, is torn between his duties as a judge and as a father of interfere with their ways. At the start of every aca- a to-be-married daughter. When the world turns totally against demic session, the media brings the news of sui- Jolly, the one person who stands by him is his wife Pushpa cides by new entrants, who no longer can bear the Pandey (Huma Qureshi). Will the rock solid support from his disgrace, ignominy and dishonor inflicted on them wife help Jolly win the case against the humongous system by their seniors. Ragging has caused intense fear which relies on power and politics, does Jolly single handedly and shattered the trust and ability of the new stu- manage to win the case of the late Hina Siddiqui and deliver jus- dents to make sound judgment about the people tice to her family or does Jolly succumb to the hands of the big (seniors) around them. daddies, is what forms the rest of the film. ers of JOLLY LLB 2 have kept the courtroom drama scenes and Some people feel that it is a socio-cultural prob- When JOLLY LLB 2’s promos were released, it gave us a the state of the Indian judicial system as realistic as possible, glimpse of what to expect from the film. The film, in totality, without resorting to any kind of glorification of any of these lem. The truth is that in some cases, ragging has does not disappoint as it exposes the harsh truth of today’s law aspects. The filmmaker cracks jokes on their own characters, occasionally, ended in fighting, serious injuries, rather than caricaturing or dramatising things, which will find and even deaths, leading to the ruin of some bril- its connect with the audiences. The film even has a measured liant careers. Senior students tease the new stu- What works in the film’s favour is the and calculated dose of action scenes (Parvez Shaikh), which are dents about their looks and manners. The tall and realistic setting that’s peppered with in sync with the film’s narrative. Do not miss the scenes like the short, the fat and the lean, all become easy tar- Akshay Kumar’s impromptu brainwave while fighting his first gets. Students wearing glasses, have their glasses fast-paced satirical humour. While the case, Saurabh Shukla’s telephonic conversation with his darling snatched away and are made to read without them. film has its share of a handful of witty daughter over a Manish Malhotra lehenga, the dharna scene Few are made to bow before the senior students and between Annu Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla, Akshay Kumar’s forced to greet them with folded hands. Sometimes one liners (majorly in the form of change of heart after Sayani Gupta’s suicide. A special mention the eatables brought by the new students are eaten to the film’s climax speech by Akshay Kumar, which is extreme- by the seniors in the formers' presence. Ragging is ly clap worthy. ‘Akshay-isms’), it’s the film’s dialogues a sort of mock interview of the new entrants. The As for the performances, it’s the power packed enactment by senior students take the position of the interview- (Subhash Kapoor) which come across the trio of Akshay Kumar, Annu Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla, which acts as the film’s forte. Even though the film’s first half ers, while the new students become the intervie- as powerful and hard-hitting. rides majorly on the ‘tried and tested’ shoulders of Akshay wees. Sometimes, there are probing and indecent Kumar, the second half sees Annu Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla, questions about the minutes details that hardly in UGC's anti-ragging guidelines which include a fine up to RS and order. The film’s screenplay (Subhash Kapoor) is extremely who, alongwith Akshay Kumar hold the film in a big way. matter. 25,000, cancellation of admission, with holding scholarship, eloquent. Full marks to Subhash Kapoor for successfully posi- Akshay Kumar, who plays the role of a lawyer for the first time A new student who resists becomes a target for harassment. tioning the film’s story as the David vs Goliath clash, which truly in his entire career, portrays his character with superlative élan He might be falsely accused of stealing a thing or things from a debarring from appearing for exams, suspension or expulsion depicts the flawed judicial system in India. Subhash Kapoor has and supreme confidence and brings in an array of emotions in senior. He would be put on a mock -trial. During the trial, he from hostel and rustication from a period of one to four semes- also managed to subtly (yet convincingly) touch upon the his role. Akshay once again shows what a powerful and talented might be forced to admit his guilt; he is pressurized by physi- ters. aspects like crime, terrorism, religion, society, actual courtroom performer he is, besides being one of the country’s biggest cal threats and humiliation. After the trail, the accused is asked Even the institutions where ragging is prevalent could be drama, present judicial system, human emotions and senti- superstars. Trailing him closely are the seasoned actors Annu to polish the shoes of his senior students. He could be asked to punished by withdrawing of affiliation or other privileges and ments in its raw form, without resorting to any kind of over the Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla. Annu Kapoor is brilliant in the role clean the clothes even. If the new entrants complain to the war- debarring from awarding any degree and withholding grants. top antics. As a film maker, he has managed to do all of this of a corrupt lawyer. His character becomes powerful majorly in den or any other authority, he becomes a target of regular Most authorities have tackled the problem with an iron hand. without being even a bit preachy.