‘Jolly LLB 3’ Meerut trailer launch: Akshay Kumar, Arshad Warsi field quirky questions

Meerut, Sep 10 (PTI) "What's the story of the film?", "Which city is better, Kanpur or Meerut?" and "Why did you release a teaser for this one?" were among the range of questions that "Jolly LLB 3" stars Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi fielded at a packed trailer launch event here.

The upcoming film is the third chapter of the courtroom comedy franchise that started with 2013's "Jolly LLB", featuring Warsi as a down-on-luck lawyer from Meerut Jolly Tyagi. It was followed by 2017's "Jolly LLB 2" that saw Kumar starring as Jolly Mishra, another struggling lawyer from Kanpur.

The trailer launch was organised in the hometowns of the film’s two characters, with the team starting their day in Kanpur before heading to Meerut, where they were greeted by huge crowd at the Shopprix Mall.

The actors were accompanied by the film's director Subhash Kapoor, producer Ajit Andhare and co-star Saurabh Shukla, who reprises his role of Judge Sunder Lal Tripathi.

The trailer was then unveiled, showcasing the two lawyers locked in a battle of wit and ethics over a gripping farmer-versus-politician issue.

The first question the duo faced was about the film's story.

To this, Kumar replied, "This movie is about an event that took place in 2011. It is about farmers. Now you watch the film, it has entertainment and a lesson. The lesson is conveyed in an entertaining way." He also praised the director for making the movie with a "lot of love".

The next question was -- Why were they in Kanpur and Meerut and which one of the cities is better? "India is the best," said Kumar, adding that both "Mishra and Tyagi are the same, just like Kanpur and Meerut are the same".

Another journalist asked Kumar: "The earlier two movies didn't require any teasers. Why did this one need a teaser?" A confused Kumar turned to Kapoor and asked, "Kya, teaser nahi banaya tha pehle?" leaving the audience in splits.

He was then asked, "You and Arshad are fighting against each other in the film, who will have the upper hand?" Kumar said, "You want to find out without paying money?" "You make a lot of patriotic films, and Meerut has been crucial to the Indian struggle. How do you feel about being here?" asked a journalist.

While he was asking the question, another interrupted, "Ek aadh sawaal judge sahab (Shukla) se bhi poochle?" Kumar said, "Ek minute, baat karlein beta.... “We’ve picked up everything from here, including nankhatai from Ghanta Ghar, and on our journey back to Mumbai, we’ll be snacking on it all." The excitement around the stars was such that most of the journalists had gathered around the stage, making it difficult for actors to discern the identity of the person asking the questions.

Someone in the crowd said, "Mera sawaal Arshad Abbas ji se hai -- aapne Meerut ki bhasha ke liye kis se training li hai?" A witty Warsi replied, "Mera to naam hi badal diya." Towards the end, a question was finally posed to Shukla and amid the commotion, Shukla raised his hand and quipped, “Koi ek question aaya hai, poochne do.” The journalist then asked him -- "You are portraying the role of a judge in these films. I got to know from my sources that you made the role memorable without any script. Where did you get the motivation?" "It is a totally wrong assumption that I played the character without referring to the script. The script dictates what I do, and yes I put in my inputs but at the end of the day everything I do in the film has been scripted," said Shukla.

When the journalist said the information is viral on social media, Shukla replied, "Arey, social media to bina script ke hi chalta hai yaar." Produced by Star Studio18 and directed by Subhash Kapoor, "Jolly LLB 3" will be released in theatres on September 19. PTI RB RB BK BK