This is what a good story looks like. A good story need not necessarily have many characters or complex storylines with constant emotional ups and downs. It can also be a thought – a thought that is narrated well. This needs skills too. Not anyone can get up and turn a thought into a film.
Vakeel Babu, for me, is not about lawyers or Indian law. Though it spoke about domestic violence, for me, it is not even about domestic violence. It’s about how small events from daily lives snowball to change a person. This can make one a better human being or vice-versa.
I remember, Bhamini Oza had shared an update about this film on Instagram a few months ago. Since then, I have been waiting for its digital release.
More than anything, I wanted to watch her film. Why?
I remember her playing the character of Kismi in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. The way she said Dakses in the show in that typical Gujarati tone is engraved in my memory. From those days, I have been her fan. After that, I watched her in Shimmy with Pratik Gandhi but that was again a brief role.
So, I was happy to find her new release on Amazon Mini TV and she is the reason why I watched Vakeel Babu before any of the other mini movie releases. Unfortunately, even in this film, she appeared on the screen for a few minutes.
Having said that, I am happy that I started the Amazon Mini Movie Fest with this film.
If you ask me about the story, it’s about a lawyer who is trying to get popular by flaunting his knowledge about law with the help of videos. When in court, he doesn’t have many clients. In short, he is a struggling lawyer who is getting popular on social media. His popularity is the reason his niece wants to become a lawyer. She is not the lover of law or justice but the fame.
The twist in the story is that not everything Shiraz Hassan (Vakeel Babu) says in his videos believes in, in real life. He speaks about women rights but also believes that women sometimes misuse the law. They use it to threaten their innocent in-laws or husbands. His videos bring him a bunch of students before getting a client. And the conversation between him and the students act as an eye-opener. Not for him, but the viewers.
The only hope in this movie is this lawyer’s mother, who was also a lawyer and is finding it hard to understand how law or people who are supposed to safeguard the law have changed or are changing.
What unfolds towards the end is interesting to watch.
Vakeel Babu’s influence or let’s say, branding is such that the daughter-in-law of a Minister calls him to fight her case. If Shiraz Hassan is not the person he wants the world to believe he is, why would he take the case? Why would he fight the battle where he knows his life will be at risk? Or will he do it because that would bring him media attention and eventually, fame and work he has been longing for?
For answers, I suggest you watch it yourself.
Streaming On: Amazon miniTV
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