19 Best Bollywood Movies About Court Drama And Lawyers (2023)

To be honest, no one likes being in court or getting into a legal matter that takes him or her to court. On the contrary, we like to watch movies based on court drama and lawyers in particular.

Despite being one of the most popular types of films in India, the genre is not well explored as there are few films dealing with the subject. The reason why I believe is that to create a good drama film that is based on trials, it takes a great script, a lot of prep work and most importantly logic, so that the technique isn't disturbed or changed in any way throughout the film.

Any courtroom drama film must go through a process and follow real-world guidelines regarding law and ethics in the courtroom.

Still, Bollywood has done few miracles in this genre and today I am going to share some of the best Bollywood movies based on lawyers and courtroom life.

List of Best Courtroom Drama Movies in Bollywood

Kanoon (1960)

Kanoon is a 1960 Hindi courtroom drama directed by B.R. Chopra. The film's title means "The law' in Hindi and it's easy to understand what the film is going to be about.

Basically, the film revolves around an anti-death penalty case where it is believed that witnesses can be deceived, sometimes leading to false convictions.

The film stars Ashok Kumar as the judge, while Rajendra Kumar plays a defense attorney as well as the judge's would-be son-in-law. The film is also considered to be the second songless film in India.

Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962)

Directed by Shankar Mukherjee, Baat Ek Raat Ki is a 1962 film starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman.

The film begins with Neela, played by Waheeda Rehman, who is being held in custody for murder.

Assuming she committed the murder, she even confessed to it. However, renowned lawyer Rajeshwar, played by Dev Anand, decides to defend her as he believes there is a lot more to the case than meets the eye. Whether or not he successfully defends them is the rest of the story.

During (1965)

Waqt isn't just a courtroom drama; however, it makes our list because of the film's final sequences, which are dominated by a court case.

Directed by Yash Chopra, Waqt is a 1965 disaster film with a massive multi-star cast including Raaj Kumar, Sunil Dutt, Shashi Kapoor, Sadhana, Balraj Sahni, Madan Puri, Sharmila Tagore, Achala Sachdev and Rehman.

Waqt is also credited as a film that reintroduced the concept of Lost and Found to Bollywood, first seen in the 1943 film Kismat.

Andha Kanoon (1983)

Andha Kanoon is a 1983 film that really shows how manipulative Indian law can be. The theme of the film can already be guessed from its title, which means "Blind Law" in Hindi.

Directed by T. Rama Rao; The film talks about many facets of the law, which is not fair thanks to loopholes and the weakness of the law in India.

The film features an ensemble cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth, Hema Malini, Amrish Puri, Reena Roy, Prem Chopra, Pran, Danny Denzongpa, Madan Puri and Asrani. The film also marks the debut of Southern superstar Rajnikanth in Bollywood.

Meri Jung (1985)

Meri Jung is one of the best courtroom drama action movies I've ever seen. It is also one of the most inspirational films of all time as it is about willpower and hard work.

Directed by Subhash Ghai, Meri Jung is a 1985 film that tells the story of a lawyer Arun Kumar, portrayed by Anil Kapoor, who becomes a lawyer to avenge the death of his father who was a victim of corrupt criminal lawyer G.D. Thakral, played by Amrish Puri.

The film has many courtroom sequences with certain twists and mysteries. The film also stars Meenakshi Sheshadri, Nutan, Javed Jaffrey, Parikshat Sahni, etc.

Also read:Greatest Accomplishments of Amrish Puri as a Villain

Ek Ruka Hua Faisla (1986)

Basically a remake of the Golden Bear-winning 1957 film12 angry menEk Ruka Hua Faisla is a 1986 Hindi film directed by Basu Chatterjee.

The film is based solely on a court case in which the defendant is a teenager who is arrested for stabbing his own father. Now the 12-member jury must decide whether their verdict is guilty or not guilty.

The film actually takes us to the drama behind the door in the courtroom where the jurors are arguing for various reasons. Some were legitimate while others simply because they want to get it done.

Damini (1993)

If you liked the dialogue"Hath of Two Kilos"throughSunny Deol, then you must have seen the crime thriller Damini from 1983.

Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, the film revolves around Damini, who is the key witness to a rape committed by her own brother-in-law and his friends. The film is about Damini's fight for justice for the raped victim while her whole family is against her, including her husband and her parents.

Although, as the title suggests, the film is about Damini, the real drama begins when Sunny Deol, who plays a failed lawyer at the hands of corrupt lawmakers, enters the scene.

His punchy dialogue and his role in the film steal the show, earning him the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1993 Filmfare Awards and the National Film Award that same year.

Kyo Kii… Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta (2001)

Well, Govinda is known for so many comedy films, but Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta doesn't make it into his top 10 list of successful films.

This is mainly because he has delivered so many hits in this genre that almost all of his films appear identical. A remake of the 1997 Hollywood film Liar Liar, Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta is no exception either.

However, since he plays a lawyer in the film, I had to add him to the list. The film also stars Sushmita Sen, Anupam Kher, Mohnish Behl, Rambha, Ashish Vidyarthi and many others in important roles.

Aitraaz (2004)

Aitraaz is a romantic thriller that tries to show a different perspective and suggests that sometimes a man can be the victim of sexual harassment by a woman too.

Directed by Abbas Mustan; The film stars Akshay Kumar as a victim and accused of sexual harassment, while Kareena Kapoor plays his wife and a lawyer who defends him in court.

The film's main antagonist is played by Priyanka Chopra, who accuses Akshay's character of sexual harassment and has him arrested on fabricated charges. Whether his wife successfully defends him or whether she also believes that the wrong story makes up the rest of the film.

Shaurya (2008)

Well, all the other movies on the list are court dramas involving civilians. Shaurya is a bit different as the film depicts the court-martial process of a Muslim soldier, Javed Khan, in the Indian Army for killing his commanding officer.

Major Siddhant Chaudhary, played by Rahul Bose, is assigned the role of Javed Khan's defense attorney during the trial. Set during the Kashmir conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, India, the film follows the investigation that led to the shooting.

Directed by Samar Khan, the film is based on an American film A Few Good Men.

Also read:Movies about the Indian Army and life in the army

Prison (2009)

(Video) Kanoon | Ashok Kumar | Rajendra Kumar | Bollywood Classic Movies

Jail is a 2009 Hindi prison drama directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. The film stars Neil Nitin Mukesh as a prison inmate who is arrested on false charges after being caught drug possession.

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

Also read:Films about prisoner life

Nobody Killed Jessica (2011)

No One Killed Jessica is a 2011 biographical drama directed by Rajkumar Gupta. The film is based on the highly controversial Jessica Lal murder case.

In the film, Rani Mukerji plays news reporter Meera Gaity while Vidya Balan plays Jessica's sister, Sabrina. The film follows the murder case and Sabrina's fight for justice with the support of Meera.

Also read:Bollywood Movies Based on True Stories and True Stories

OMG - oh my god! (2012)

OMG - oh my god! It's an interesting addition to our leaderboardBollywood movies about court drama. The film, directed by Neeraj Pandey, is a satirical comedy-drama based on one of the most popular Gujarati stage plays entitled Kanji Virudh Kanji.

Basically, the film follows the life of Kanji Lalji Mehta, played by Paresh Rawal, whose business is destroyed during an earthquake. When his insurance claim is denied by the insurance company because the disaster claim doesn't cover damage from natural disasters classified as "Force Majeure," Kanji decides to file a lawsuit against God.

Then Krishna Vasudev Yadav played by Akshay Kumar enters Kanji's life after everyone has left him. With instructions from Krishna and the help of a lawyer, Hanif Qureshi, played by Om Puri, Kanji is taking the country by storm as several petitions are filed by people who have been victims of "force majeure".

The film also stars Mithun Chakraborty, Govind Namdeo, Poonam Jhawer, Mahesh Manjrekar and others in key roles.

Funny LLB (2013)

Jolly LLB is a 2013 Hindi courtroom drama starring Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani.

Directed by Subhash Kapoor, the film essentially follows the life of lawyer Jagdish Tyagi aka Jolly, played by Arshad Warsi, who takes on a case to help six innocent wage earners get justice and his struggle against the monopolistic behavior of the wealthy and judicial corruption.

The film references the 1999 hit-and-run case of Sanjeev Nanda and a brief reference to the Priyadarshini Mattoo murder case.

Jazbaa (2016)

Jazbaa is a comeback film directed by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan after a long film break. Directed by Sanjay Gupta, Jazbaa is a 2016 crime thriller that follows the life of a lawyer, played by Aishwarya, who is forced to defend a shady criminal after someone takes her daughter hostage.

The film also stars Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi, Jackie Shroff and Atul Kulkarni in key roles.

Rustom (2016)

Rustom is the latest film on our list of the best Bollywood movies about court cases. The film, directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, is based on the real-life incident of naval officer K.M. Nanavati and businessmen Prem Ahuja.

The films star Akshay Kumar as Rustom, who confesses to killing Vikram Makhija, played by Arjan Bajwa, and later defends himself in front of a jury to prove he is not guilty. Whether he succeeds or not determines the rest of the film.

The film also stars Ileana D'Cruz, Pawan Malhotra, Esha Gupta, Sachin Khedekar, Parmeet Sethi, Kumud Mishra and many others in important roles.

Rosa (2016)

Pink is a 2016 courtroom drama directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury. The film follows the trial of Miss Arora, played by Taapsee Pannu, who is defended by a lawyer who suffers from bipolar disorder and has frequent mood swings, portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan.

Pink is not just a film about an attempted murder, this film questions our society's thinking and how we judge people and women based on their looks, behavior and lifestyle. Pink is high on performances by all actors, especially Amitabh Bachchan, Tapsi Pannu and Kirti Kulhari.

Amitabh Bachchan is a lawyer in the film for the first time in his entire career. (We think that) He gave a banned act as an old lawyer. This film doesn't focus on characters and their lives, Pink is about our society and our views on the various issues, how we make lists of good and bad things and how we judge girls by that list.

Jolly LLB 2(2017)

A sequel to the 2013 film Jolly LLB, Jolly LLB 2 is another courtroom drama starring Akshay Kumar and Huma Qureshi. While Akshay Kumar plays a good lawyer, Annu Kapoor plays the rival lawyer against Akshay Kumar in the film.

The film will also have Saurabh Shukla. It wasn't a big hit like other courtroom drama films, but still a good watch.

§ 375 (2019)

Section 375 is the latest entry in the list of the best Hindi movies about court cases. The film is a false acquisition of rape story based on Section 375 of Indian law.

Starring Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chaddha and Rahul Bhat, the film is very intense and addresses a very sensitive issue of false rape allegations.

Now that you've been through all thisBest Bollywood Movies About Court Dramaand lawyers of all time.

Share your favorite Hindi movies on Courtroom Drama.