PremiumMaamla Legal Hai review - The Ravi Kishan-led Netflix series is guilty of delivering justice with hilarity
Maamla Legal Hai review: Netflix unveils a legal series where every case manages to crack the code of comedy, ensuring a courtroom experience unlike any other.
Last Updated: 01.33 PM, Mar 01, 2024
The series follows a group of quirky lawyers as they take on bizarre cases for strange clients in the made-up Patparganj District Court.
One of the challenging parts of reviewing content that I have been facing is finding depth, even in the lighter moments. I got a reality check of the same when I went to interview the cast and creators of Maamla Legal Hai and questioned them about the dark undertone of opportunities, unfair treatment towards women, and more. Ravi Kishan, the series' lead, told me that it's a very lighthearted show that one should approach in that manner.
When I then resumed the show from the third episode (I took the interview on the basis of the first two episodes), I realised that it's all in the fun and the gaze of the viewers, indeed! I enjoyed Maamla Legal Hai in every way possible, not just because of the concept, where they fictionalised the real-life court cases that made headlines, but also for showing the world outside court, which is nothing but to seek opportunity for every lawyer out there.
Let's delve into the details of Maamla Legal Hai's cast: A cunning lawyer named VD Tyagi (Ravi Kishan) confronts the "long arms" of justice. Naila Grrewal portrays Ananya Shroff, a recent Harvard Law School graduate and a fierce champion for social justice who becomes a part of this unusual world. At the same time, there's the OG Didi Sujata Negi (Nidhi Bisht), who hasn't taken on a case yet and would prefer nothing more than to have her own air-conditioned chamber. Anant V. Joshi plays Vishwas Pandey, the manager of Patparganj District Court, who fancies himself as the clever secretary Donna Paulson from the TV show Suits.
In the first two episodes, it takes a slightly longer time to get into the groove of what this series is exactly about. Almost every character has a slow-motion entry, leading to the conclusion that their arcs are the focus of the series despite their similarities. However, given the sitcom format, every episode brings up cases that you might have heard or unheard of, laughed at, and dismissed. But the makers, especially writers Saurabh Khanna and Kunal Aneja, bring out the humane side of lawyers, for whom struggle is indeed real on how to bring about justice even when a parrot is abusing "mohalle wali aunty," without sounding funny and dismissing it as something that is not worth the fight.
To be honest, we definitely cannot negate the fact that the seriousness in every character is something that is relatable and predictable given the set-up, mainly in Patparganj, which is just on the outskirts of the capital city of Delhi.
The eight-long episodes of Maamla Legal Hai don't divert from its theme of bringing the infamous cases to viewers from India's heartland. However, it also provides an idea of how hierarchical things work in the country's courts.
But what elevates the show in every possible way are the actors, who have become a part of this bizarre world and deliver performances that make you feel their angst as well as their laughter.
Definitely the highlight of the series is Ravi Kishan as VD Tyagi, whose one-liners are just too good for words. It reminded me more of a Jolly LLB set-up, but that's a good thing as we get to witness it on the OTT screen. In the world of courtroom dramas, Maamla Legal Hai does stand out because when we hear about the most series cases, there are times that it does become an episode of a stand-up comedy act. That's what Kishan brings to the table with his English-speaking skills, as well as balancing his OG element.
Nidhi Bisht, an out-and-out comedian whom we have seen over the years, comes in close second to him. However, her performance with straight-face humour does bring the charm that only female comedians can do effortlessly.
Naila Grewal, an outsider in this bizarre world, endeavours to assimilate seamlessly through perseverance and adaptability. But that's the beauty of the character, which shows a generational shift that the writers created by giving it a mere touch.
We've seen Anant V. Joshi play this happy-go-lucky guy in Kathal and 12th Fail; his character in Maamla Legal Hai is more or less similar. But he does leave an impressive mark with his performance.
Maamla Legal Hai is what I can still describe as an out-of-the-box series that has come on OTT after a short period of time. Why so? If there's a court case involved, you have my attention. And if you are showing it with laughter and bizarre cases that are actually a reality, bring it on!
Maamla Legal Hai does plead guilty to charges of tickling the funny bone in the right way, and it's the infamous cases along with the performances that serve as lawful entertainment.