System Review: It’s fun to hear someone say “Today we’re going to tear the system apart” and then to find out that the movie itself is going to be a hard-hitting courtroom drama or a safe TV show. Everything starts off with confidence that you expect explosive legal showdowns, sharp emotional writing and morally messy showdowns. For a time it does for a reason, partly because Jyothika storms in and makes the screen come to you regardless of the poor script. The courtroom banter is fun, the turns are frequent enough to keep things going and the film never flagged. But under all the grand rhetoric and melodic undertones, there’s a very simple story that never quite reaches the scope of emotion it strives for.
The story line is rather simple. The protagonist is a young law student (Sonakshi Sinha), who wants to prove herself to become her father’s law partner. Her dad, actor and filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, says, “I am the biggest lawyer in India, if you want to become my partner I will throw a reverse nepotism googly, win 10 cases continuously.” Under the guidance and direction of Jyothika’s persona, the daughter’s wins help her secure nine consecutive victories but the tenth case puts her in front of her own father in court. The idea is intriguing and, fortunately, the courtroom sections are mostly compelling. The dialogue is still there to be read and still a lot of fun, the twists are still fun and the film is still moving at a reasonable pace without being tedious.
I was impressed by Jyothika’s performance. She is very confident carrying the emotional and dramatic load of the entire film. Each time the script turns another twist on the audience, she somehow makes it believable, simply by convincing them. Her facial acting, lines and delivery, and acting on screen have made her the believable person in scenes that might otherwise seem hyperbole. All the way through the big reveal I was only focused on her. I remember no one else from the movie except her. She was the only thing I could recall from the film afterwards.
But, that’s not the case with Sonakshi Sinha. I really enjoyed her work on the web series Dahaad, as she was a layered character in that one. But here she’s not bad at all, she feels restrained and forgettable. There are moments when her character’s emotional arc does not fully land, particularly when there is supposed to be emotional intensity. The father-daughter relationship is also contrived much of the way, as are some of the scenes. Some of the scenes are contrived, too, and so is the father-daughter dynamic for most of the film. Ashutosh Gowariker has a decent performance in normal scenes, but he shows that he has limitations when it comes to delivering the highly emotional scenes.
The other surprising one is the direction of the film. Having seen his previous films such as Bareilly Ki Barfi and Nil Battey Sannata, which are grounded, I had some expectations for a more mature film. Rather the film in needless, adds songs full of emotion, to create emotions in the viewer, that the screenplay lacks naturally. The father-daughter relationship is not an emotionally convincing one and so the songs take the momentum away from it.
I also believe viewers must have their expectations set appropriately. This is NOT an international, dark, layered courtroom thriller with non-stop action. The storytelling is pretty basic and easy to understand all through. It is a good little legal drama or casual crime thriller for anyone new to legal flicks or casual crime thrillers, and probably for many viewers of television procedural dramas like CID. There is no touching or graphic violence in the film, although some themes are somewhat grown-up.
System is far from terrible or unforgettable, however. Emotionally it never reaches the heights it aims for, but it’s a superb performance and a few fun moments in court, that make it a one-time watch.
Rating: 3/5
