U0lLY

cheats a young lady, Hina, seekingjustice for her husband Iqbal, in a case of mistaken identity Dejected withthe tum of events, Hinatakes a drastic stepthatjolts Jolly Ridden with guilt and to undo what he did, he files a Public Interest Litigation How he gains redemption and prominence, formsthe crux of the tale.

Jolly Llb 2

STARRING: Akshay Kumar, Huma

Qureshi, Saurabh Shukla, Annu Kapoor, Kumud Mishra, Manav Kaul, Sayani Gupta,Avijit Dutta

DIRECTOR: Subhash Kapoore •••'r,

Apart from being a courtroom drama and Saurabh Shukla playingJudge Tripathi, there is nothing common

The Ghazi Attack

STARRING: Rana Daggubati, Kay Kay Menon Atul Kulkarni and Taapsee Pannu

DIRECTOR: Sankalp Reddy -ktt {;_(

A bigger mystery than the sinking of the submarine during the 1971 India and Pakistan war that thisfilm so bravely recreates, is Rana Daggubati's one single immovable expression that he has been holding steadfast on his impressive face ever since he graced the large screen with his imposing physical presence.

It's an expression of scowling machismo, a ratification of masculinity and a rejection of all humbug, and that includes changing the expression accordingto the emotional need of the moment.

Rana plays Lieutenant Commander Arjun Varma. And if you think-this is as a filmy as a hero's name can get waittill you see the torrent of patrioticjingoism that hits you straight in the face (though alas, not in the guts). The national anthem (which had already played beforethe film begins, as per the new rules) played in the film before the end when all the characters first sang Saare jahaan seachcha and thenjustto drive in the point,Janagana mana.

Confused, a few members of the audience gotto its feet while the others remained seated. Even before the confusion could be sorted, the national anthem played again.thistime as part of the background score, and then the film ended in a furry with the tricolour betweenJollyLLB2 and its predecessor theArshad Warsi-starrerJollyLLB. And the only reference, if any, is a faint line when Saurabh Shukla, says: "Your name seems familiar, heard it in Delhi."

Astutely mounted on a larger scale and set in Lucknow,JollyLLB2 is a redemption story The film trails Jagdishwar Mishra akaJolly, an assistantto a renowned lawyer, who desires to set up his own practice,

The script meanders with some off-beat scenes and songs. The first half toils on establishing the characters and the Holi song in particular is incongruous to the plot. This feel-goodsatire seems to have lost itslustre. Not thatthis is a badfilm, butit does tread on a predictable terrain with a plethora of poignant moments, some powerful ones. Some ofthe scenes seem forced with comedy, some ofthe parts are laugh-out-loud funny, but beneaththe humour isthe subtle criticism ofthe corrupt system which can be easily manipulated. The courtroom drama is indeed interesting albeit weary and it lacksthe soul of its previous edition.

But, Akshay Kumar asJagdishwar Mishra isthe raison d'etre of this film. Though he istoo old to play a novice and a bit unconvincing while indulging in buffoonery, he nevertheless carriesthe film squarely on his shoulders exuding star charisma.

Huma Qureshi as his whisky-drinking and Gucci-wearing wife Pushpa Pandey is competent. But her character is an appendage to the plot which offers nothing but a wholesome appeal to Jolly's character.

In supporting roles - brilliantly essayed- are Saurabh Shukla asJustice Sunderlal Tripathi, Annu Kapoor as the defendantlawyer Pramod Mathur, Sayani Gupta as Hina Siddiqui -the pregnant lady seeking justice, Kumud Mishra asthe sly and ambitious Inspector Suryaveer Singh andAvijit Duttas Police CommissionerS.S. Paul. Unfortunately, Manav Kaul in a miniscule role as Hina's husband Iqbal Qassimis wasted.

With excellentproduction values and good cinematography,the film is a typical Hindi blockbuster with an easy going demeanour. Nevertheless, the film is an entertainer.

TroyRibeiro

KARANJOIIARANDAAFILMS,,m,1 held high.

All ofthis is crammed into the last 15 minutes of this commendable but underwhelming tale of war-time valour. The film editor - the brilliantSreekar Prasad - cuts tothe chase. There is little room for diversion as the men on board the submarine attend to the task of fobbing offthe enemy's advances. The marginal characters barely getin a word edgewise and beforethatscared lieutenant gets thefirstbite of a banana into his trembling mouth, the siren goes off.

A sense of urgency is preserved throughout, with the actors pitching in their mostsincere efforts to makethe proceedings look authentic.

Butit'slosing a battle. In a manner of speaking.

Nevertheless, debutant director Sankalp Reddy must be lauded for his vast research on the subject. He lays outthe blueprint of the underwater and so far underground, battle between India and Pakistan, with diligence and sincerity Butthe director's epic vision is constantlydefeated by the lack of financial sources.

Budgetary constraints show up in embarrassing spurts inthis soggy and damp underwater adventure. It's in the way the actors are huddled on one set depicting the interior of a submarine, or in the way the sea and the exchange of torpedos between the enemy countries plays itself out thatthe film exposes its crippling limitations.

Whilethe Indian side ofthe battleline comes off with a fair amount of fair thanksto accomplished actors like Atul

Kulkarni, Kay Kay Menon and some unknown faces that play fringe soldiers who are never at sea (no pun intended.), the Pakistani soldiers helmed by Rahul Singh (who snarls and snaps like an Alsatian denied itsdaily meat) are pure caricature.

The Pakistani soldiers are bathed in the colour green (in case we miss their cultural complexion). They refer to one another as Janaab (in case we don'tgetthe point even after the proceedings go green).

Once we ignore the glaring generalizations and the broadly sketched definitions of valour and patriotism, The GhaziAttack comes across as a film that means well. The director has afirm command over the underwater escapades, more so than the power-tussle in whichthe commanding officers are shown to be embroiled.

By the time Rana gives his big speech on sacrificesthat soldiers make so that we civilians can sleep peacefully, the narrative has exhaustedits ability to hold our attention The adventures of The GhaziAttack are intriguing, and even excitingto begin with. But after a while, repeated shots of torpedoes being fired from both sides gets repetitive.

War, as we all know, is an exercise in futility This should not be the case with films about war. And God knows Chetan Anand and J.P. Dutta have shown us how spellbinding war cinema can be, given the required resources.

SubhashKJha