Top 10 Bollywood Court Room Dramas & Lawyer Based Movies Till 2022

To be honest, no one enjoys being in court or being dragged into a legal situation that requires them to appear in court. On the contrary, we enjoy watching films about courtroom drama and, in particular, lawyers.

Despite being one of India's most popular cinema genres, the genre is underrepresented in the country, with only a handful films devoted to the subject. The reason for this is that I feel that in order to make a successful courtroom drama film, you need a strong script, a lot of groundwork, and most importantly, logic, so that the technicality is not disrupted or altered throughout the film. When it comes to law and courtroom ethics, every courtroom drama film must follow a protocol and adhere to real-life norms.Nonetheless, Bollywood has succeeded in producing a few masterpieces in this genre, and today I'll be revealing some of the best Bollywood films about lawyers and courtroom life.

Kanoon (1960)

B.R. Chopra directed Kanoon, a 1960 Hindi courtroom drama film. The Hindi title of the film translates to "The Law," and it is clear what the plot will entail.

Essentially, the film concentrates around an argument against capital penalty based on the belief that witnesses might be mislead, leading to false convictions.Rajendra Kumar portrays a defence lawyer and the Judge's would-be son-in-law in the film, which stars Ashok Kumar as the Judge. The film is also recognised as India's second song-free film.

Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962)

Baat Ek Raat Ki is a 1962 film directed by Shankar Mukherjee and starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman. The film begins with Neela, played by Waheeda Rehman, being held in detention on suspicion of murder.

She even admitted to the murder, assuming she was the one who did it. However, Dev Anand's character, renowned lawyer Rajeshwar, decides to defend her because he believes there is more to the case than meets the eye. The rest of the plot revolves around whether or not he is successful in defending her.

Waqt (1965)

Waqt isn't really a courtroom drama, but it makes our list because of the film's final sequences, which are dominated by a legal trial.

Waqt, directed by Yash Chopra and starring Raaj Kumar, Sunil Dutt, Shashi Kapoor, Sadhana, Balraj Sahni, Madan Puri, Sharmila Tagore, Achala Sachdev, and Rehman, is a 1965 disaster film. Waqt is also credited with reintroducing the lost and found notion to Bollywood, which was initially featured in the 1943 film Kismat.

Andha Kanoon (1983)

Andha Kanoon is a 1983 film that takes a stab at how deceptive Indian law may be. The film's theme can be deduced from the title, which translates to "Blind Law" in Hindi. The film, directed by T. Rama Rao, discusses how many aspects of the law fail to bring justice in India due to loopholes and weaknesses in the legal system.

Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth, Hema Malini, Amrish Puri, Reena Roy, Prem Chopra, Pran, Danny Denzongpa, Madan Puri, and Asrani are among the ensemble cast members. Rajnikanth, the South Superstar, makes his Bollywood debut in this flick.

Meri Jung (1985)

Meri Jung is one of the most entertaining courtroom dramas I've ever watched. It's also one of the most motivating films of all time, as it emphasises the importance of determination and hard work.

Meri Jung is a 1985 film directed by Subhash Ghai that follows the storey of Arun Kumar, played by Anil Kapoor, who becomes a lawyer in order to avenge his father's death at the hands of corrupt criminal lawyer G.D. Thakral, played by Amrish Puri. There are several courtroom scenarios in the film, each with its own twists and secrets. Meenakshi Sheshadri, Nutan, Javed Jaffrey, Parikshat Sahni, and others also appear in the film.

Ek Ruka Hua Faisla (1986)

Ek Ruka Hua Faisla is a 1986 Hindi film directed by Basu Chatterjee that is essentially a remake of the Golden Bear-winning 1957 film 12 Angry Men. The film is entirely based on a judicial trial in which the defendant is a teenager accused of murdering his own father. Now it's up to the jury of 12 men to decide whether they're guilty or not guilty.

The film transports us to a behind-closed-doors courtroom scene in which jurors fight for a variety of reasons. Some were genuine, while others were simply desperate to get it over with.

Aitraaz (2004)

Aitraaz is a romantic thriller that attempts to portray a distinct perspective by implying that a guy might be a victim of sexual harassment by a woman. The film, directed by Abbas-Mustan, stars Akshay Kumar as the victim and accused of sexual harassment, with Kareena Kapoor as his wife and a lawyer defending him in court.

Priyanka Chopra plays the film's main antagonist, accusing Akshay's character of sexual harassment and having him arrested on false charges. The rest of the movie is about whether his wife is able to successfully defend him or if she believes the bogus storey as well.

Shaurya (2008)

All of the other films on the list, on the other hand, are about courtroom dramas involving citizens. Shaurya is unique in that it depicts the court-martial of a Muslim soldier in the Indian army, Javed Khan, for killing his commanding officer.

During the trial, Major Siddhant Chaudhary, played by Rahul Bose, is assigned the job of Javed Khan's defence counsel. The film is set during the Kashmir dispute in India's Jammu and Kashmir, and it focuses on the investigations that led up to the shooting. The film is based on the American film A Few Good Men and directed by Samar Khan.

Jail (2009)

Madhur Bhandarkar directed Jail, a 2009 Hindi prison drama film. The film stars Neil Nitin Mukesh as a prison inmate who is falsely accused of narcotics possession and is arrested.

The film largely follows Neil's character's troubles and atrocities while he is in jail, and depicts the life of a prisoner in an Indian jail. Manoj Bajpayee, Mugdha Godse, and Arya Babbar also play major roles in the film.

Jazbaa (2016)

After a long absence from the screen, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan returns with Jazbaa. 

Jazbaa is a 2016 crime thriller film directed by Sanjay Gupta that depicts the lives of a lawyer, played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is obliged to represent an unscrupulous criminal after her daughter is kidnapped. Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi, Jackie Shroff, and Atul Kulkarni all play major roles in the film.