Tag: Ravi Kishan

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Mirzapur (movie): A slick upgrade with interesting additions

The film directed by Gurmeet Singh functions as a parallel story to the popular web show. Some of the dead characters Munna and Bablu make a comeback from the grave, the ever-competent Jitender Sharma takes over Vikrant Massey’s slot. Ravi Kishan as one of the new additions makes for a solid villain with a cute romantic side. His swag filled moments gives the movie some of its best moments. However, the spine of Mirzapur is the trio of Divyendu Sharma, Ali Fazal and Pankaj Tripati.

Starcast: Divyendu Sharma, Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripati, Jitender Sharma, Ravi Kishan, Khulbushan Karbanda, Rasika Duggal, Sonal Chauhan and others

Director: Gurmeet Singh

Genre: Crime

Story: Puneet Krishan

Music: John Strewart Eduri

Cinematography: Sanjay Kapoor

Producers: Ritesh Sidwani and Farhan Akhtar

Production Companies: Excel Entertainment and Amazon MGM Studios

Running time: 3 hours and 17 minutes

The three seasons of Mirzapur has a strong fan following, the characters of Divyendu, Ali Fazal and Pankaj Tripati in particular have become household names. The entertaining one liners and scenes from the series have been used as memes too. Now you have the world of Mirzapur in a movie format, the nutshell of the film is the same as the series which are gang wars and the fight for the throne of Purvanchal. This spin off primarily focuses on the dynamics between Munna (Divyendu Sharma) and Guddu (Ali Fazal). Guddu along with Jitender Sharma’s Bablu are the right- and left-hand men of Pankaj Tripati’s Kaleen Bhaiya. Ravi Kishan plays Baban Yadav; a man who is on the run with a consignment of drugs. Baban is also one of the numerous candidates aiming for the throne of Mirzapur. Nothing more can be revealed given the numerous other subplots.

A strong aspect of Mirzapur is the character design of Divyendu and Ali Fazal. Both Munna and Guddu are the two sides of the same coin, whether it’s the hot-headed nature or the need for constant validation from their respective fathers. The undercurrents of jealousy and insecurity has come out well in the intense moments.

Here a crucial mention must be made of a post interval portion set in Rajasthan. Kaleen Bhaiya gets kidnapped and numerous lives are at stake. A point comes where Munna and Guddu have to put aside their egos and work as a team. Jitender Sharma’s dialogues pointing out how they are essentially similar and then persuading the two to put aside their differences is the films biggest highlight.

A special mention must also be made of Ravi Kishan. His entry gives a different energy to the movie. His character Baban comes with two shades. One is the extremely ruthless gangster and two a love-struck man. Sonal Chauhan plays a dancer cum love interest, their scenes though few in number have a few adorable moments. For example, there is a scene of Baban stitching a blouse for his lady love. Their interactions have some cute moments with Ravi Kishan pulling off both the shades in a solid manner.

Rasika Dugal’s role in the film comes with an important backstory giving a different dimension to the web show. Rasika does well in pulling off both the shrewdness and an inner strength. Jitender Sharma taking over from Vikrant Massey fights in well, his on-screen chemistry with Ali Fazal and their different approaches has come out well.

As already mentioned Divyendu, Ali Fazal and Pankaj Tripati are the spine of the movie. The trio get some solid individual moments aided by the masala flavored writing; Divyendu’s Munna continues to be the entertaining bad guy with a flamboyant nature. Much like the web show Divyendu doesn’t miss a single beat in portraying the different shades, what stands tall admist the larger-than-life persona is an aching vulnerability.

Ali Fazal too slips into his role with practiced ease. A strong physical persona majorly helps along with a certain daredevil nature. Pankaj Tripati also makes a strong impact with his understated approach. The way he exudes power underneath a calm exterior is a treat to watch. Abhishek Benarjee as Munna’s loyal aid has his moments too.

Two major issues with Mirzapur movie is its super stretchy run time and the weakly written love stories. The scenes featuring Shriya and Swetha Tripati have a pleasant nature but in the larger scheme of things don’t make much of an impact. The music too barring Sonal Chauhan’s raunchy number come across as major speed breakers.

Sanjay Kapoor as a cinematographer does a fine job in capturing the rustic locations. A particular mention must be made of the action blocks set in Rajasthan desert. It immerses the viewers making them feel the danger.

Final word: Mirzapur is worth watching for fans of the show and those who like crime dramas in general.

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Maamla legal Hai (season 2): Jolly LLB of OTT

Much like the first season MLH season two does a good job in mixing satire and social commentary. At the same time this season is more emotional while maintaining the humorous tone. Ravi Kishan continues to lead from the front this time with a different character arc. As a judge grappling with the burden of making tough decisions the actor is excellent

Starcast: Ravi Kishan, Nidhi Bisht, Naila Grewal, Anant Joshi, Dibyendu Bhattacharya and others

Director: Rahul Pandey

Writers: Kunal Aneja, Mohak Aneja, Shadan Syed , Tatsat Pandey etc

Genre: Comedy/drama

Producers: Sameer Saxena, Saurabh Khanna, Biswapati Sarkar and Amit Golani

Production house: Posham Pa pictures

Cinematography: Miling Jong

No of episodes: 8

Streaming site: Netflix

For those who haven’t seen Maamla Legal Hai season 1 the plot revolved around the quirky world of Patparganj. The series tackled a wide range of cases based on newspaper reports flashed at the end of each episode. For example, there was one involving a divorce. The husband wants to divorce his wife just because she doesn’t feel shy on their wedding night. Apart from this the web series touched upon different aspects like the connubial rights of prisoners etc. Apart from the witty writing and direction the series also benefitted immensely from the ensemble cast especially Ravi Kishan and Nidhi Bist. Now you have season two also set in Patparganj but with different dynamics.

MLH season two is primarily about the transition of Ravi Kishan’s VD Tyagi. From a street-smart advocate he has turned into a judge. At the same time the trio of lawyers represented by Nidhi Bist, Naila Grewal etc are dealing with a range of cases which are as messy as their personal lives. The interpersonal rivalries especially the one between Naila Grewal and the new entrant Kusha Kapila also forms an important part of MLH season two.

A major strength of MLH 2 season two is the characterization of Ravi Kishan coupled with his solid act. Unlike the first season the flamboyance of Ravi Kishan is more toned down as VD Tyagi is trying to be more serious. His equation with the old acquittances undergoes a strain. The internal struggles of VD tyagi forms the spine of this Rahul Pandey directorial. The scenarios lend itself naturally to both comedy as well as emotional depth. Thankfully this transition lands giving the show some of its best moments.

A special mention must be made of the episode titled “Beyond reform”. VD Tyagi gets through a major inner turmoil before pronouncing the judgement of death by hanging. Ravi Kishan is especially good in a break down preceding this, he eventually decides that being a judge is not his cup of tea.

Coming to the funny portions season 2 offers plenty of laughs this time too. For example, there is a marital case with a very orthodox mother-in-law, and the wife is fed up of her demanding ways. Additionally, the husband doesn’t stand up for her. It’s not that the spouse doesn’t love his wife, but he is afraid to question his mother,

How the husband finds spine amidst a lot of chaos is both well written and enacted. Mention must also be made of a young boy who aspires to be a gangster. The characters played by Neila Grewal, Anant Joshi and Kusha Kapila struggle a lot to change his mind. Eventually the youngster decides to focus on studies after witnessing a particular incident. The scenes here too are laced with humor.

MLH season two also benefits from the scenes of rivalry between Niela Grewal and Kusha Kapila. Kusha Kapila represents a more media savvy breed of lawyer’s profession. The friction between the two has some impactful moments as well.

An underlying theme of MLH season two is negotiating a system which is imperfect at the same functional. Season 2 goes beyond the satirical tone of first one looking at the compromises and how justice in its true form is difficult to achieve so sometimes it has to be negotiated. The chaotic world of Patparganj district court continues to have a lived-in atmosphere. The messy ecosystem of lawyers, clerks, clients etc has a believable feel.

Apart from the splendid Ravi Kishan the ensemble cast also pitch in some fine performances. Niela Grewal especially stands out perfectly showcasing the evolution of Ananya from textbook notions of justice to absorbing shades of grey. Nidhi Bist continues to shine with her comic timing. Dibyendu Bhattacharya as another judge also makes his presence amply felt. His dynamics with Ravi Kishan especially a key confrontation is solidly written and enacted.

Much like the first season the personal life of VD Tyagi does come across as a speed breaker. A few tonal shifts could have been handled better but these are minor blips in an otherwise engaging show.

Final word: Maamla Legal Hai is a worthy follow up and for fans of legal satire definitely worth watching.

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Maamla Legal Hai: An Entertaining Legal Satire Led By A Delightful Ravi Kishan

At times the series feels like an OTT version of Subhash Kapoor’s ‘Jolly LLB’. But still, this Rahul Pandey’s directorial is very much its own best.
  • Main Cast: Ravi Kishan, Nidhi Bist, Yashpal Sharma, and Naila Grewal
  • Director: Rahul Pandey
  • Producer: Amit Golani and Biswapati Sarkar
  • Music Director: Nilotpal Bora
  • Cinematography: Milind Jog
  • Genre: Comedy, Drama
  • Rating: 3.5/5
  • Episodes: 8
  • Published in: Southfirst

Subjects revolving around courtrooms and lawyers always make for an interesting subject. Reason: They represent a form of hope for a common man as Saurabh Shukla’s judge Sunderlal Tripathi says at an important juncture in Jolly LLB 2 (2017).

Subhash Kapoor’s Jolly LLB films engaged the audience thoroughly with witty dialogues and touched upon different social topics.

For example, Jolly LLB (2013) was about a hit-and-run case. It was about the death of some labourers who were run over by a land cruiser while sleeping on the footpath.

Jolly LLB 2 was related to a fake encounter. To begin with, in both films, the protagonists are not very likeable advocates. But they grow a conscience as the plot moves along.

Synopsis

Now, you have Maamla Legal Hai set in the district court of Patparganj. The eight episodes portray a variety of eccentric cases inspired by real-life stories.

VD Tyagi (Ravi Kishan) is a street-smart advocate who aspires to become the bar association president. Tyagi excels at finding loopholes in the legal system to win cases.

He has two assistants who are hilariously nicknamed as law and order.

Sujatha (Nidhi Bhist) dreams of having her chamber one day.

Ravi Kishan in ‘Maamla Legal Hai’. (X)

Vishwas Pandey (Anant V Joshi) is the court manager.

Ananya Shroff (Naila Grewal) is a Harvard-returned advocate with dreams of providing legal aid to the underserved. However, she faces a harsh reality in Patparganj.

In simple terms, the story deals with the wacky nature of the district court and some small-town problems.

Director Rahul Randey deserves distinction marks for how he packages serious issues while maintaining the entertainment quotient.

He touches upon how the strikes of lawyers affect the cases, the connubial rights of prisoners, etc.

Among the many bizarre cases, my favourite one is that of a husband who wants a divorce because his wife does not feel shy during their wedding night.

This may be as unbelievable but at the end of the episode, you have a newspaper clipping showing how this had really happened.

The web series also makes a strong statement on how law and justice are two very different beasts; they should be the same in the ideal world though. This comes out firmly in an episode where Naila Grewal’s character faces a moral predicament while tackling a case.

Well-written characters

Naila Grewal in ‘Maamla Legal Hai’. (X)

The characters have been written with a lot of care. A good example of nuanced writing is Ananya’s constant dilemma regarding her idealism that clashes with pragmatism.

Though she is well-versed in law, there are junctures where the reality sets in and Ananya‘s desire to deliver justice takes a step back.

Similarly, Ravi Kishan’s VD Tyagi may come across as very cunning but he has his humanity, which comes out strongly in a particular episode.

About the performances, Ravi Kishan leads the ensemble with his brilliant performance. The actor does a swell job of portraying the transformation that his character goes through, from being shrewd he comes to understand the power bestowed on him.

However, the complicated relationship of Tyagi with his father needed to be better explored.

At times, the show gets into a melodramatic zone, which doesn’t gel with the overall tonality.

Among the other actors, Nidhi Bisht also makes a big impact with her comic timing and matches up to Ravi Kishan.

Naila Grewal, as an outsider to this bizarre world, also fares well in portraying the existential crisis.

Anant V Joshi’s character is pretty similar to the one in 12th Fail (2023), but he is still fine in what he does.

Verdict

Maamla Legal Hai is a hilarious satire that needs to be watched for its social commentary and striking performances.

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/maamla-legal-hai-web-series-review/