The ‘JOLLY LLB 2’ (2017) Trailer Offers A Rare Bollywood Protagonist

Akshay Kumar has become synonymous with commercially successful projects within the Bollywood industry.  This is due to a variety of roles and projects that the actor chooses, ranging from slapstick comedy, real life bio-pics and award winning dramatic films. Sometimes all within the same year.

The latest from Akshay Kumar comes in the form of a thematic sequel about a shady lawyer who bends morality to get his way, only to find himself in a situation where he needs to uphold society's laws to ensure justice against all odds.

Check out the Trailer for 'Jolly LLB 2' and read on for why it should be a great movie.

Akshay Kumar is known mostly for playing self righteous roles in movies like 'Rustom' or heroic characters like the one in 'Baby'. He's also done sleazeball roles like 'Entertainment' and other comedies where the rascal with a heart of gold has found meaning and purpose in their lives.

This is an amazing trailer. When a trailer is meant to appropriately give an idea of the story, introduce the protagonist and the conflict, while still appealing to audiences and not giving away details of the plot points themselves... it succeeds in spades. The trailer for 'Jolly LLB 2' is engaging and interesting. Akshay Kumar is able to display his entire range of talent; from his trademark comedic style to the dramatic vibes that's he's become very good at.

'Jolly LLB 2' follows a similar premise where a crooked lawyer, always trying to game the system find meaning in one case, where he has to straighten his ways and be on the right side of the law for once. The film is a sequel, but not a direct one, to the 2013 film 'Jolly LLB', starring Arshad Warsi in the lead role, going up against a more veteran antagonist in Boman Irani's character. That dynamic has definitely carried over to the sequel with Kumar stepping into Warsi's shoes and Anu Kapoor replacing Irani. The only other recognizable faces from the original film would be that of Saurabh Shukla as a Judge, although Arshad Warsi is said to have a cameo in the film.

The sequel, 'Jolly LLB 2' is supposed to be a comedy at heart, however, things do seems to get gut wrenchingly serious and that's where Akshay excels. The elements that feature a riveting court room drama seem effectively intense, when the moment calls for it. The one liners included in the trailer that showcase the best parts of the legal are even better than the trailer for 'Pink', which ended up being one of the better Bollywood movies of this year.

What really sets 'Jolly LLB 2' apart from other usual formulaic Bollywood movies, is the protagonist. Bollywood movies almost always portray their middle class, average joe characters as being hyper moral, virtuous and unrealistically righteous. Their social status is compensated for through their pride and inflated sense of right and wrong; all meant to make them more endearing to audiences.

So it's refreshing to see a character that is not wholly perfect as the film begins, but has to follow a journey to set him on the right path. It's definitely not a brand new concept, as Kumar himself has done this formula many times, but it's rarely explored in Bollywood. At least not as much as it should be.

My one complaint against the 'Jolly LLB 2' trailer would be one scene where Kumar's character is seen getting shot in the back. It's a scene that seems like it would be in the second or third act of the movie, in order to raise the stakes and shock and startle the viewer. But including it in the trailer removes any of those elements during the actual movie, undermining the desired effect. Despite forward steps, Bollywood movies still do need to work on improving the in-film content that is featured in the promotional material.

I'm also a little disappointed to see Huma Qureshi in this movie, as it doesn't look like she's playing anything other than the obligatory female lead, only there for the love story angle and song sequences. And Qureshi is deserving and capable of, much much more.

Despite those issues, this trailer does completely sell me on 'Jolly LLB 2', which is impressive given we knew nothing of this film prior to the trailer.

'Jolly LLB 2' releases February 10th, 2017.

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