System - unbalanced scales

System 

2026, Hindi

Genre: Noir Courtroom Drama

Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

Stars: Sonakshi Sinha, Jyothika, Ashutosh Gowariker,  Adinath Kothare, Vijayant Kohli

Mohan' Measure ⭐⭐⭐

Most courtroom dramas have, to their credit, one honest person who stands up for the underdog and brings about the right thing. System laughs in the face of this concept by refusing to create these boxes.  Everyone in the process has something to gain and lose, and everyone is looking out for themselves. But the message is moored in the fact it is generally the rich that always win. 

The two leads are attempting to put an existential spin on their life, and it is this that brings them together by chance.   Ms. Sinha's character is the daughter of a hot shot lawyer who insists on ten consecutive successes before she can partner in his firm. Ms. Jyothika's character is a court stenographer from the other side of the tracks who charges good money for tips on winning cases, a perfect setup for a dream team. But ironies abound, especially in how these cases seem to be following a pattern.

This movie is a sure shot for noir, but limitations in acting dilute that certain magic required for this to work.  Ms. Sinha is a little too snooty while Ms. Jyothika is little too brooding, so the friendship feels stiff and trite.  Adding to the shallowness are the usual Netflix racy plot devices which give the film a soap opera overtone. 

But, in the end Justice, albeit in a somewhat unconvincing way, is served.