BTOWN HOOKED ON COURTROOM DRAMAS
201819 will see a bunch of films based on gripping legal battles. We take a look o at the rising popularity of the trend
Remember those thundering arguments made by lawyers in older Hindi movies, and the more recent edge-of-the-seat courtroom scenes in the Jolly LLB series (2013 and 2017), Pink (2016), and Oh My God (2012)? The legal drama, as a genre, appears to have come into its own in Bollywood — a string of films are planned for this year and the next, and stars such as Shahid Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu, and Yami Gautam are putting on the lawyer’s coat.
So, what makes the courtroom drama a popular genre? Shree Narayan Singh, who is directing Batti Gul Meter Chaalu, says, “Lawyers, with all due respect, are often viewed with suspicion, especially since they have to represent all sorts of clients. To see a lawyer use the tools of their trade to overcome greater enemies is, therefore, a source of inspiration.”
Anubhav Sinha, director of Mulk, feels that the courtroom drama has been a sub-genre across the world. “Even in India — no matter how unrecognised — this space has always been flourishing. Also, it needs more research than a regular fiction drama,” he says.
Actor Kunal Kemmu, who is co-producing a biopic based on the famous defence lawyer Ram Jethmalani, believes that “it’s the suspense of whether justice will be served or not, and two sides battling it out — right and wrong — that makes such films an interesting watch.”
Most actors agree that it requires way more research than usual to play a lawyer. “The body language and the mannerisms are a challenge,” says Yami Gautam.
Taapsee says that it’s quite different standing on the oth h side of the box. “I realised th h the responsibility and intimidation is much more when you’re the one driving the argument. We had a practising lawyer on the se e all the time to help us with exact terminology and bod language,” she says.
To play her part of a public prosecutor right, Richa Chadha is watching a lot of documentaries. “I’m trying to understand how female lawyers have crusaded against issues close to them across continents. This film will show the Indian courts proceedings as they are,” she says.
Taapsee sums up: “As these movies revolve around the same set of actors, between the same walls for a long time, it’s a challenge to hold the audience’s attention.”