Frames of Reference

Although promising, Ashwini Iyer Tiwari’s ‘System’ fails to deliver in many ways.

System is a movie about the system that fails the common man. It is a courtroom drama. A story about the corrupting influence of money. About surviving in an unfair world fighting incredible odds. It is also a story about revenge.

In other words, it is about some of the tropes that have been beaten to death in Hindi movies.

What redeems the movie somewhat is that the story is built around two women who come from two ends of the spectrum – one a privileged and ambitious lawyer, and the other a court stenographer married to a paraplegic whom the system has failed.

I have previously reviewed this year’s highest grossing movie. Now it is time to review an overlooked movie with possibilities.

Starcast

Sonakshi Sinha plays the role of Neha Rajvansh, a public prosecutor and daughter of a successful defense lawyer. Jyothika plays the role of Sarika Rawat, a court stenographer who lives in a chawl with her paraplegic husband.

Ashutosh Gowarikar returns to acting after a long time as Ravi Rajvansh, Neha’s father.

Plot

The story revolves around Neha’s ambitions and her need to prove to her father that she is a capable lawyer and not just a nepo baby.

Neha dreams of working in her father’s firm but he tells her that she has not yet proven herself. He challenges her to win ten successive cases if she wants to work for him.

On the other end, Sarika seems to be able to see what experienced lawyers are not able to see in the cases that come to the court.

In a chance encounter between the two women, Sarika makes an off-hand comment about a case that Neha is fighting, which leads to her winning that case. Convinced that Sarika will be able to help her with her instincts, Neha asks for her help on all her cases.

They work together on nine cases, and Neha is successful in all of them. The tenth case involves a well-known builder who is alleged to have murdered a social media influencer who was blackmailing him.

The predictable twist is that the builder is represented by Neha’s father, who urges her not to take the case. She of course refuses, setting the stage for a father-daughter confrontation in the court room.

All ten cases – including the one involving the builder – seem to be connected to an incident that happened a decade earlier, where a fire in a nightclub led to multiple deaths and the arrest of an employee of the club for negligence.

I will not get into the unravelling of the mystery and the climax as I don’t want to be a spoiler. But in the end Neha wins her ten cases but decides not to join her father’s firm. Instead, she becomes a lawyer for people who have been failed by the system.

Why ‘System’ Fails to Deliver

This could have been a good movie. A legal drama centered around two women; a candid look at power and privilege; an indictment of a system that fails the very people it is supposed to protect; a protagonist who manipulates the system to avenge injustice from that very system – it has all the makings of a good social drama. But unfortunately, it failed to deliver.

What was Wrong

Three things spoiled it –

1. Sonakshi Sinha continues to underwhelm. It is ironic that she could not look authentic as an entitled nepo baby who is out to prove herself.

2. Many of the plot elements are far-fetched and cliche ridden (one could argue that this is par for the course).

3. The court room drama is the biggest disappointment. The arguments are trite, the lawyers constantly talk over each other, and often to each other instead of addressing the court. Hindi movies are not exactly known for depicting courtroom procedures accurately, but even so this movie is egregiously inaccurate.

Saving grace is some good acting by Jyotika and Ashutosh Gawarikar.

Conclusion

‘System’ fails to deliver, as it explores the failures of the legal system but disappoints in execution.

Despite an interesting premise involving revenge and corruption, the movie falls flat due to clichéd elements and underwhelming performances.

The courtroom drama lacks authenticity, with trite arguments and unrealistic interactions among lawyers.

While the acting of Jyotika and Ashutosh Gowarikar shines, the film ultimately fails to deliver on its potential.

Director Ashwini Iyer Tiwari has made some interesting movies including Nil Battey Sannata, Bareilly Ki barfi, and Tum Se Na Ho Payega.

She certainly has an eye for offbeat themes that work. On that front she did not disappoint with this movie.

Here’s hoping that she finds her groove in her next movie.