Aahana Swrup
‘Maamla Legal Hai,’ the Netflix Hindi language show, is a comedy courtroom drama set in the District Court Patparganj that oversees a constant rotation of absurd and hilariously objectionable cases. VD Tyagi, a clever lawyer with a winning streak, aspires to become the country’s Attorney General by progressing his career within Patparganj’s quirky courtroom and its myriad of quirky cases. Meanwhile, Ananya Shroff, a Harvard-educated lawyer, enters the scene, looking to blaze her own path. As a result, the pre-existing chaos in the courtroom multiplies, paving the way for off-beat eccentricities.
This workplace comedy offers a unique perspective into the world of law by delving into a disorderly court with bizarre characters and even more bizarre situations. Yet, despite the unconventionality of these legal stories, the grounded nature of the characters and their narratives may lead the viewers to wonder if there’s any truth to the show’s outlandish accounts.
Maamla Legal Hai Mines Inspiration From Real Quirky Court Cases
‘Maamla Legal Hai,’ while not entirely based on reality, employs absurd instances of true legal cases to create a comedic narrative that remains infused with a sense of realism. With each episode, the show brings new outlandish cases within Patparganj’s courtroom that almost seem too weird to be true. Nevertheless, many of these cases are actually directly based on true stories.
For instance, the perplexing incident of a woman taking a parrot to court for the alleged crime of aiming crude and foul language at her has surprisingly firm roots in real life. In 2015, a news story from Maharashtra broke out highlighting the summoning of a parrot for “hurling obscenities” at the then-85-year-old Janabai Sakharkar. The parrot, Hariyal, belonged to Sakharkar’s stepson, Suresh, who received accusations of teaching his pet such offensive behavior due to land and property disputes.
While Hariyal refrained from continuing his alleged behavior under the police’s scrutiny when called into the station for the incident’s verification, the police still decided to pass him along to forest department officials for Sakharkar’s sake. As such, the show’s interpretation of this incident, though differing from reality in certain details, clearly remains informed by it.
In the same vein, a few other quirky cases depicted within the show have evident connections to real-life stories. Speaking about the same in a conversation with ABP News, lead actor Ravi Kishan, who embodies the role of Tyagi, said, “It is very easy to take the drama out of the real incident, but we have taken the humor.” He added further, “The humor is there. You just have to capture it.”
Thus, it remains verified that the creatives behind the show, including Director Rahul Pandey and screenwriters Kunal Aneja and Saurabh Khanna, have harvested inspiration from real life to construct ‘Maamla Legal Hai’s’ storylines. Nevertheless, in converting such real-life instances to the screen within an overarching and largely fictitious narrative, the show had to equip creative liberty as necessary. By doing so, the show’s narrative ensures enough reality remains laced within the narrative to inform its authenticity without overpowering the show’s comedic center.
Consequently, the show’s hysterical approach to the courtroom drama genre shines through, setting the story apart from usual legal shows. Director Pandey touched upon the same topic, discussing the show’s distinct idiosyncrasy, and said, “When I first read the script, what stood out was the subtle humor woven throughout. Typically, settings like courts and hospitals are portrayed with solemnity in films. However, we aimed to capture the humor inherent in these environments, as envisioned in the script. I felt compelled to explore this world.”
Ultimately, ‘Maamla Legal Hai’ accentuates its courtroom setting by seeking out real-life cases of absurd legalities and utilizing them as inspiration throughout its narrative. As a result, the show’s outlandishness retains a connection to reality that increases the premises’ hilarity, infusing the show with a unique factor. Therefore, although the show is far from biographical and employs plenty of invented storylines, it still remains inspired by true stories.
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