Review: Maamla Legal Hai

The legal system in India can sometimes feel like a big joke, just waiting to be turned into a comedy show. You might have seen movies like Jolly LLB and OMG 2, which poke fun at the absurdities of our courts.

It's not easy to take real-life issues, some of which are pretty funny to begin with, and turn them into uproarious comedy. But Rahul Pandey, along with writers Saurabh Khanna and Kunal Aneja, managed to do just that. They were helped by actors who understood the absurdity of the situations they were in but didn't go overboard with their comedy.

The main character, VD Tyagi, played by Ravi Kishan, is a lawyer at the Patparganj court in Delhi. He's loud and ambitious, with dreams of becoming the attorney general one day. But first, he has to win the election for president of the Delhi Bar Association against his rival, Phorey, played by Yashpal Sharma.

Tyagi has two assistants he calls Law and Order. The calm atmosphere of the court is disrupted by Ananya Shroff, played by Naila Grewal, a Harvard-educated lawyer who drives a Mercedes. She wants to offer free legal aid to the poor but struggles to find clients.

Other characters include Sujata, played by Nidhi Bisht, who prefers referring clients to other lawyers instead of appearing in court, Vishwas, a friendly court manager who takes a liking to Ananya, and Shambhu, the tea boy who dresses up as a monkey to deal with a monkey problem on the court premises.

Some situations in the court are hilarious, like a shortage of witness stands that need to be moved from room to room. And sometimes, the clients themselves are ridiculous, like the man who wants a divorce because his wife wasn't shy on their wedding night.

Despite the chaos and the unscrupulous lawyers, the law is still the last resort for many people. Even though justice is often delayed and lawyers are sometimes shady, there's still some sanity in all the madness.

The dialogue is witty, and the actors work well together, with Ravi Kishan leading the pack but giving space to others to shine. It's surprising that a show like "Maamla Legal Hai" didn't get more promotion from Netflix.