‘Jolly LLB 3’ Movie Review: Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi’s Unfairly Imbalanced Courtroom Clash Is Rescued by Its Closing Argument (LatestLY Exclusive)

Jolly LLB 3 Movie Review: We love an underdog story, don’t we? Back in 2013, we found one in Jolly LLB, with Arshad Warsi leading the charge under the direction of then-indie filmmaker Subhash Kapoor. It struck a chord with audiences - Arshad Warsi’s “Kaun hai ye log?” became an enduring meme, Saurabh Shukla bagged a National Award, and the film earned its cult status. We often forget, however, that it’s the powerful third act that we remember the most - and that the movie does drag its feet getting there. ‘Jolly LLB 3’: Pune Court Summons Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi Over Alleged Disrespect to Judiciary.

When Jolly LLB 2 hit theatres in 2017, the underdog charm faded. Kapoor stayed at the helm, but the makers brought in Akshay Kumar to replace Arshad Warsi, trading authenticity for box office pull. The sequel became a bigger commercial hit but an inferior film. And now, Jolly LLB 3 attempts to course-correct by bringing both actors together - first as rivals, then as reluctant allies. So, do we finally get our beloved underdog back? Not quite.

'Jolly LLB 3' Movie Review - The Plot

This time, Jolly LLB 3 takes inspiration from the 2011 Bhatta Parsaul farmer agitation. Jagdish Tyagi (Arshad Warsi), aka Jolly No 1, and Jagdishwar Mishra (Akshay Kumar), aka Jolly No 2, now work in the Delhi Lower Court. Their professional rivalry is established quickly, with Jolly 2 stealing clients meant for Jolly 1 in a running gag that’s as amusing as it is telling.

Watch the Trailer of 'Jolly LLB 3':

The story kicks into gear when Janki Rajaram Solanki (Seema Biswas), a villager from Parsaul, approaches Jolly 1 to fight a case against Imperial Group, a powerful corporation illegally acquiring farmland to build a futuristic city. Jolly 2 is hired by Imperial to defend their case and even manages to impress its owner, Haribhai Khaitan (Gajraj Rao). But once he hears Janki’s harrowing story, Jolly 2 switches sides. While this deepens his rivalry with Jolly 1, it eventually leads to their alliance - and the courtroom showdown we’ve been waiting for.

'Jolly LLB 3' Movie Review - A Formulaic But Fitfully Funny Face-Off

The Jolly LLB franchise has a blueprint, and the third instalment follows it with unwavering, if unsurprising, dedication. The film is built on a reliable three-act structure that fans will recognise instantly, delivering a familiar blend of social commentary, courtroom antics, and star-driven drama.

Part One: The Moral Crusade

Every Jolly LLB film needs a potent social issue guaranteed to resonate with the audience's sense of justice. This time, director Subhash Kapoor tackles the grim reality of illegal farmland grabs by powerful corporations, enabled by corrupt government bureaucrats.

The film makes its case powerfully from the outset, with a prologue depicting this very crime, culminating in a farmer's tragic suicide. The cause is later anchored by the fantastic Seema Biswas as Janki, a haggard but fiercely determined woman seeking justice for her late husband. Her casting is a masterstroke, lending immediate weight and credibility to the film's central conflict.

Part Two: A Humorous First Half

Next, the formula dictates a light-hearted first half focusing on our hero's (or in this case, heroes') professional struggles. We are reintroduced to both Jollys, and their constant rivalry provides a steady stream of gags. Their one-upmanship is genuinely amusing, a testament to the actors' wicked comic timing.

It's hard not to chuckle when Akshay's Jolly, spotting a crowd of potential clients, carelessly bumps his scooter while parking before rushing off to poach them. The banter over who is the "real" Jolly has a clever meta edge, though these early scenes already hint at which star the film will ultimately favour with its focus.

Part Three: A Crisis of Conscience 

The third piece of the puzzle requires our hero to be tempted by the dark side before a last-minute change of heart. With two protagonists, this moral quandary predictably lands on the bigger star, granting him a character arc, albeit one that retreads familiar ground from the previous film.

Akshay’s Jolly Mishra is briefly tempted to work with the villainous corporation, only to have an instant epiphany after hearing Janki's sob story. He realises... dun dun dun... that the corporation is evil. This narrative shortcut not only cheapens the emotional impact of a flashback that relied on two suicides to raise the stakes, but it also feels like lazy screenwriting, engineered solely to give the bigger star a heroic moment of rebellion.

The interval arrives with a bizarre truce, as the two Jollys find themselves racing camels on a sparkling new racecourse, endangering professional drivers in the process. But hey, they're uniting for a common cause, so that's a win, right?

'Jolly LLB 3' Movie Review - Struggles to Get To Its Point

Sadly, the film then remembers its obligation to stretch past the two-and-a-half-hour mark and promptly injects more contrived drama between the leads. As it attempts to resolve this forced conflict with even more comedy, not even the actors' unmatched comic timing can save these portions from becoming an absolute drag.

That said, the perennial scene-stealer, Judge Sunderlal Tripathi (Saurabh Shukla), is a consistent delight. His efforts to connect with his 'Tender' date, a police officer played by Shilpa Shukla, are adorable. It's an endearing detour, but still one that is further moving away from its most compelling element: Janki's fight for justice.

'Jolly LLB 3' Movie Review - Unfairly Imbalanced

Before we get to the fourth requisite of a Jolly LLB film screenplay, I need to address the elephant in the room: Is Jolly LLB 3 fairly balanced between the two Jollys? Unfortunately, clients are not the only thing Jolly 2 was stealing from Jolly 1.

While Arshad’s Jolly is acknowledged as the “original” and even delivers the closing argument, Akshay’s star power tilts the narrative focus towards itself. The protest scene in Parsaul is telling: Akshay gets a heroic chase sequence while Arshad is left to endure the police brutality with everyone else - a choice that robs the scene of its emotional heft. He also gets to dominate the final courtroom scene before Warsi gets to step in.

Part Four: The Courtroom Showdown

The climactic courtroom scene - the fourth requisite of a Jolly LLB film - is where Jolly LLB 3 finds its footing again. Kapoor keeps things restrained, reminiscent of the first film rather than the overblown sequel. Ram Kapoor plays the suave opposing lawyer and delivers a compelling monologue, though he’s given limited screen time to polish his character as Boman Irani did in the first film. Akshay goes full throttle with an impassioned, sermon-like speech exposing corporate corruption, while Saurabh Shukla delivers his trademark outbursts to much applause. 10 Years of Jolly LLB: Boman Irani Says He Knew from Start That His Film with Arshad Warsi Will Win National Award.

Arshad Warsi gets the final word, delivering a moving closing argument, but it is the tearful flourish that gives the scene more power than all the rousing speeches before it. Yet, the film’s resolution feels a bit too neat and optimistic. It glosses over the systemic power of corporate-political nexuses and the grim realities of justice in India. Unlike the first Jolly LLB, which acknowledged that verdicts can be appealed and justice is rarely final, this one feels almost utopian.

'Jolly LLB 3' Movie Review - The Performances

Akshay Kumar is in fine form, especially in the comedic and courtroom scenes, but his character feels over-served by the screenplay. Arshad Warsi, though underused, reminds us why he was perfect for the role in the first place, especially in the finale.

Saurabh Shukla is reliable as ever, even if his courtroom shtick feels recycled from previous films. Thankfully, he’s given a more playful romantic subplot this time around; I couldn't help but smile when he marches into a police station to file a missing person report, only to deliver a pick-up line that is simultaneously cheesy and utterly winsome.

Huma Qureshi and Amrita Rao are given precious little to do, their characters feeling more like afterthoughts than integral parts of the story. Seema Biswas, however, is superb. Despite her limited screen time, she delivers a gut-punch of a performance that will break your heart during the courtroom finale.

My feelings about Gajraj Rao's antagonist, however, are more mixed. He is initially presented as a complex, egoistic billionaire who attempts to portray his affluent class as the true victims of a skewed social perception. It’s a promising start, but as the film progresses, the character devolves into a clichéd villain with little to offer. By the second half, he is woefully underutilised, seemingly existing only to get a rise out of Judge Tripathi.

PS: Can we say actor Sushil Pandey is the Bruce Campbell of the Jolly LLB franchise? He plays three distinct characters in his own multiverse here - Sadakant Mishra in Jolly LLB, Ram Kumar Bhadauria in Jolly LLB 2, and Raghunath Bhardwaj in Jolly LLB 3.

'Jolly LLB 3' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Despite the casting coup of uniting Akshay and Arshad, Jolly LLB 3 feels like the weakest film of the franchise - that's still a watchable courtroom drama with a couple of powerful moments, strong performances, and a relevant social cause at its heart. But its uneven screenplay, indulgent runtime, and clear star bias stop it from reaching the sharpness and emotional punch of the first film. The underdog spirit is still there - just buried under the weight of its derivative screenplay and starpandering.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 19, 2025 04:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).