Title: Maamla Legal Hai 2
Director: Rahul Pandey
Cast: Ravi Kishan, Naila Grrewal, Anant Joshi, Nidhi Bisht, Kusha Kapila
Where: Netflix
Rating: 3 Stars
After the runaway success of Maamla Legal Hai’s first season, the makers are now out with its second season. Will the second season be able to hold its ‘court’... we mean ‘fort’ is what we will be finding out.
Maamla Legal Hai 2, in a nutshell, is about a ‘day in the life of’ everyone and everything that happens in a court. Season 2 introduces us with Vishweshwar Dayal Tyagi aka VD Tyagi (Ravi Kishan), who has now become the Principal District Judge at Patparganj Court, Delhi. Tyagi becomes friends with Kailash Shubhkela (Dibyendu Bhattacharya), who has been appointed as a District Judge in the same court.
Meanwhile, Jagdish Gupta aka Munshiji (Vijay Rajoria) has by now taken over Tyagi’s chamber. While he is assisted by Lakhmir Singh Balli aka Mintu (Anjum Batra) and Sujata Negi (Nidhi Bisht), they end up quarreling about whether the chamber should be named Balli Negi And Associates or Negi Balli And Associates. As a solution, Munshiji rolls out a master plan.
On the other hand, there’s Ananya Shroff (Naila Grrewal), who while yearning for her first courtroom victory, takes up the case of Banaspati (Dinesh Lal Yadav aka Nirahua) who is fighting a case against a deodorant brand. Ananya gets an utter shock when she learns that her arch-rival, Nayana Arora (Kusha Kapila), will be representing the deodorant’s case. What ensues after that in the form of drama (read ‘courtroom drama’) is something that gets revealed in the rest of the episodes.
Actors' performance
No prizes for guessing that, the series totally rests on the shoulders of veteran actor Ravi Kishan and Naila Grrewal. Right from the word go, Ravi and Naila own every moment and movement of the series. The effortlessness with which Ravi gets into the skin of his role is truly outstanding. As for Naila Grrewal, she shows the world what a fine actor she is, someone who can rise to any occasion. Others who leave a mark include Nidhi Bisht (outstanding), Anant Vijay Joshi, Anjum Batra and Dibyendu Bhattacharya. Kusha Kapila and Dinesh Lal Yadav aka Nirahua shine flawlessly in their respective characters.
Direction, Music and Aesthetics
Despite the entire series resting on a courtroom premise, Rahul Pandey ensures his direction remains simple and without any over-the-top aspects. It is this simplicity that really works in the series' favour. The way he has directed the second season will force everyone to watch the first season yet again!
Sadly though, the music (Nilotpal Bora) fails to leave the desired impact. On the other hand, Nilotpal Bora shines in the background music department. The manner in which the background music blends seamlessly with the narrative really elevates the series by notches.
While the cinematography (Milind Jog) is decent, the editing (Chandrashekhar Prajapati) is nearly flawless. Despite a bunch of episodes having longer duration, they do not seem dragged or stretched. That’s the magic when you have powerful and experienced hands at the editing table.
FPJ Verdict
For all those who enjoy drama in the premise of a courtroom drama, this series is a must-watch. And with the summer season setting in, if you are up for ‘heated discussions’ which leaves you with a smile, then, do not miss this series for anything in the world!
