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4 min readMay 22, 2026 11:25 AM IST
System movie review: System is a legal drama bookended by two women, separated by class, but united in their zeal for justice. Neha Rajvansh (Sonakshi Sinha) may be a struggling public prosecutor (sarkaari vakil) but she comes from privilege. Her wealthy father (Ashutosh Gowariker) is a top defence lawyer, and her brother (Adinath Kothare) is following in his footsteps. Dad wants his rebellious beti back where she belongs, but she has to prove her mettle. If she wins ten cases in a row, he declares, she will get entry into his hallowed chambers.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the much-lower-on-pecking-order Sarika Rawat (Jyotika), a court reporter who has learnt enough law to be able to give tips to Neha, especially when she sees the latter fumble. Sarika has a husband who is a wheel-chair user, and a school-going daughter, and she could do with a bit extra on the side, and so the women come to an understanding. It’s pragmatic: Neha needs the help, and Sarika needs the money, so why should anyone have any objections? The fact that it’s not exactly kosher is brushed under the carpet.
The strength of Iyer’s film is just this, showing the two women bent upon earning their living their way, and making their choices, right or wrong. The fact that they are sexually independent is also a plus: when Neha tells her lover that he makes her very happy, you are startled, because this is not a statement one comes across in too many mainstream Hindi films. That Sarika has her own little physical fiddle on the side is also a surprise, especially because she handles the trysts in the most matter-of-fact of manner.
But the good things don’t last. Confusion arises soon enough when Neha, who seems perfectly happy trying her hand at defending people who do need help, as opposed to the wealthy who hide under the convenient loophole — it’s not just enough to be guilty, but proven to be guilty beyond reasonable doubt — suddenly seems to want be part of daddy’s camp. Whatever happened to the vaunted independence?
The cases also seem to be summarily fought and disposed off, from a fire in a restaurant which claims an innocent life, to the murder of a famous influencer: it’s almost as if Neha is ticking off the numbers of cases just to be able to cross over to the other side, with a sidekick (Aatam Prakash Mishra, who had a lot to do in ‘Criminal Justice’ series) and is here reduced to delivering pointedly funny lines which call attention to themselves.
And then, of course, when daddy’s rich builder pal (Vijayant Kohli) is in the dock, Neha goes off sleuthing – why do feisty female lawyers in Hindi movies wade into unknown territory without batting an eyelid? Not only do they jump into these spaces, they also come up triumphantly with answers. Old Delhi seems to be the only address for those who are struggling financially, in Bollywood’s imagination; rickshaws miraculously appear late in the night; and my pet peeve, homes invariably look like decorated sets.
The contrivances do not end here: the climactic confrontation, in which the killer is revealed, is nothing but an eye roll.
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System movie cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jyotika, Ashutosh Gowariker, Adinath Kothare, Vijayant Kohli , Aatam Prakash Mishra
System movie director: Ashwini Iyer Tiwari
System movie rating: 2.5 stars
