An Open Letter To Subhash Kapoor - Creator Of Maharani Season 4 & Jolly LLB 3

Hi Subhash,

I was completely amazed by Jolly LLB starring Arshad Warsi. Loved it! I have been your fan since that movie. The fact that the movie was a critical & commercial success despite starring Arshad Warsi, who is very talented but had not had a solo hero hit before that. While I have always been a sucker for underdog stories, I completely loved the way you had us hooked in your courtroom drama. Casting Boman Irani as the high-profile lawyer was casting genius. The characterization of the judge played by Saurabh Shukla was near perfection. The movie is now considered a cult classic. You were as respected as Rajkumar Gupta, Ram Gopal Verma (post Satya & before RGV Ki Aag), Neeraj Pandey, etc, for your hard-hitting drama.

You followed that success with Jolly LLB 2 with Akshay Kumar. Again, the movie had a tight script & some good acting. Sayoni Gupta became a star because of the break she got in your movie. The movie ended up being one of the biggest hits of the year. By then original Jolly LLB had a loyal following every time it was shown on TV. The movie's loyal base, coupled with Akshay Kumar's fan base, meant that it was a hit from day 1. The way you deftly handled the moral dilemma of the lead & the courtroom sequences was a pure delight for every cinema goer. 

While Guddu Rangeela, which released before Jolly LLB 2, was a flop, nobody was questioning your capabilities. Jolly LLB 2's success further cemented your position in the industry. You followed it up with Maharani in 2021 - a web series which had a character inspired by Rabri Devi - the wife of Lalu Yadav - a politician whose rule was marred with charges of corruption, lawlessness & economic degrowth. Citizens of Bihar still shudder with the thought of jungle raj returning to Bihar, the state falling back into lawlessness if Lalu Yadav's family regains power. While the family is largely hated by most citizens across the country for the countless lives lost, businesses destroyed during their rule, you seem to know one thing about our audiences - they crave entertainment. As long as you make a good movie or a web show, they will watch. Their personal voting preferences take a backseat. Getting entertained is a need. So while I am no fan of Lalu Yadav or Rabri Devi, I watched your show & was entertained. 

Alongside Mahrani, you also worked on Madam Chief Minister - based on the life of ex-CM of Uttar Pradesh, Ms Mayawati. The movie flopped not because Ms Mayawati isn't as popular as she used to be. It flopped because the movie failed to entertain the audience. Maharani Season 2 & 3 strayed from reality, but had great entertainment value. You kept your personal political biases under check. The show should have ended with season 3, but you chose to extend it. Nothing wrong in milking a show's success as long as you can do justice to the franchise.

But your subsequent projects, which released this year- Jolly LLB 3 & Maharani Season 4, have left me concerned. These projects seem more like political statements rather than being made with the purpose of entertaining audiences. Your hatred towards the right-wing politics of PM Narendra Modi is clearly clouding your judgment. While there is nothing wrong with using cinema to question or attack the government or even the entire political system, it should not come at the cost of the script. The scripts for both these projects were half-baked & have let the audience down. Jolly LLB 3 had two superb actors - Akshay Kumar & Arshad Warsi coming together, but it still flopped. The blame lies with you. If you can't make a hit film when you have stars of this stature, then you are obviously going wrong. Maharani Season 4 too has been rejected by fans & again the blame lies with you.

It is my request to you to focus on the script & not compromise on it at any cost. Your primary job is to entertain & not make political statements. No actor can salvage a badly written script. 

Regards,

Team Mumbaikarsperspective