This Mother's Day, dive into love and justice with 'Court – State vs A Nobody'
The cast of the compelling legal drama, 'Court – State vs. A Nobody'.
Image: Supplied
It's Mother's Day, and spoiling the special woman in your life takes centre stage.
However, once the celebrations wind down, I would suggest some downtime on the couch, watching 'Court – State vs. A Nobody' on Netflix.
It's a powerful underdog courtroom drama, centred on family, a mother's unconditional love, and justice, underpinned by a love story.
Unpacking powerful themes of misogyny, corruption, poverty, and politics, this Telugu movie is presented with English subtitles.
Written and directed by Ram Jagadeesh, who makes his filmmaking debut, the film follows Mettu 'Chandu' Chandrasekhar (Harsh Roshan).
Chandu's life is upended when the family of his 17-year-old love interest, Meruvalli Jabilli (Sridevi), falsely accuse him of statutory rape, leading to legal repercussions.
With his fate almost sealed, his friends plead with Surja Teja (Priyadarshi Pulikonda), a junior lawyer working under the legendary Mohan Roa (P. Sai Kumar), to help.
To gain his mentor's approval, Surja accepts a case, but he soon discovers that the evidence incriminating Chandu is false. The elaborate corruption, he learns, is orchestrated by Jabilli's powerful politician uncle, Mangapathi (Sivaji).
Chandu's parents, played by Surabhi Prabhavathi and Rajasekhar Aningi, appeal to Mangapathi to withdraw the charges against their son. Despite knowing Chandu is innocent and a victim of a setup, their lower social standing leaves them unable to contest the community leader's accusations.
Since they live in a close-knit community, word of Chandu's arrest gets around.
Mangapathi's efforts to bribe Surja into losing the case are unsuccessful, leading him to use incriminating evidence that makes Surja doubt his client's honesty.
The script is wonderfully written with plenty of thought-provoking situations that amplify the dramatic tension. The casting is also spot-on with the actors sublimely executing that roles, covering a wide gamut of emotions.
'Court – State vs. A Nobody' tugs at the heart with its raw storytelling and, despite the overwhelming hopelessness, leaves streamers invested in the underdog's fate.
Rating: 4/5 **** a standout film with exceptional qualities.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The South African
4 hours ago
- The South African
South Africa's cheesiest smiles the currency for the cheesiest burgers
Globally, people smile for photos by saying all kinds of quirky words. From 'qiézi' (eggplant) in China to 'kimchi' in Korea, cultures have their own ways to show their best smile. But in Mzansi and other English speaking markets, we say 'cheese'. Steers took this opportunity to use facial recognition software and created a selfie booth with a difference. Video here: Steers, the home of the Flame-Grilled taste , turned a global photo tradition into cheesy deliciousness: 'The Cheesier the Smile, the Cheesier the Reward.' This is our way of bringing joy and the iconic Flame-Grilled taste, that is proudly South African, to the streets. Flame-Grilled. It just tastes better.


The Citizen
4 hours ago
- The Citizen
SA Literary Awards extend submission date, calls for more submissions in indigenous languages
The extension is to give authors and nominators who may not have been aware or failed to beat the first deadline another chance to submit. Despite a fair rate of submissions from English and Afrikaans literature, the South African Literary Awards (Sala) have extended the submission date, encouraging work in indigenous languages to be submitted. 'It has been our experience in the past years that we attract small numbers of work written in indigenous languages than in Afrikaans and English,' Sala executive director, Morakabe Raks Seakhoa tells The Citizen. The original submission date was 8 May, and authors have been given until 9 June to submit their works so they can be recognised for this year's edition of the awards. Seakhoa says the extension is to give authors and nominators who may not have been aware or failed to beat the first deadline another chance to submit. Founded by the wRite associates, in partnership with the then national Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) in 2005, the main aim of Sala is to pay tribute to South African writers who have distinguished themselves as groundbreaking producers and creators of literature. Sala celebrates literary excellence in the depiction and sharing of South Africa's histories, value systems, and philosophies, as well as art inscribed and preserved in all the languages of South Africa, particularly the official languages. ALSO READ: South African literature celebrated at 19th Literary Awards Indigenous work Seakhoa says there may be various reasons why authors of indigenous works haven't submitted their work for consideration at this year's awards. 'The reasons may be many,' he says as he shares some insight. 'Inadequate resourcing of writing in these languages; the misguided notion among some writers that their work stands a better chance of reaching wider markets,' shares the Executive Director. This year marks 20 years of Sala. 'We are planning a special occasion for Sala when [it] celebrates 20 years, as that'll be marking a coming of age for this prestigious Awards scheme. For this year, considerations are being entertained, including increasing the number of Lifetime Achievement Literary Award category celebrants.' The ceremony is expected to be held in November this year. ALSO READ: A spy's story – David Africa's book 'Lives On The Line' thrills Sala's 20-year journey When the literary awards were established, there was only one award, the South African National Poet Laureate Prize. Sala now has 16 categories, which range from the Children's Literature Award to the Nadine Gordimer Short Story Award. According to Seakhoa, some of the most hotly contested categories are the Regional and National Poets Laureate Prize, followed by the Novel, First-time Published Author and Creative Non-Fiction Literary categories. 'There have been a number of calls to include, expand, realign, reconfigure and rename other categories, so these will certainly be considered for the coming years, as well as working very hard to attract more financial support to increase awardees' cash prizes,' shares Seakhoa. The cash prizes for all categories are R30 000, except for the National and Regional Poets Laureate, who receive R100 000 and R50 000 respectively. Last year's Sala coincided with the 12th Africa Century International African Writers Conference, which celebrates the 33rd International African Writers' Day and 30 years of South Africa's democracy. In 1991, the Conference of African Ministers of Education and Culture in Cotonou, Benin, voted to designate November 7th as International African Writers' Day, which is currently observed across the continent. NOW READ: 'It cannot carry on as things have been' – Gayton McKenzie as he cuts funding for Downtown Music Hub

IOL News
9 hours ago
- IOL News
David Beckham to be honoured with a knighthood in King's birthday honours
David Beckham, the legendary English footballer, is set to receive a knighthood in the King's Birthday Honours list next week. The news was first reported by The Sun, marking a significant milestone in Beckham's life and career. The 50-year-old father of four has long been considered a prime candidate for the honour, thanks to his extraordinary contributions to football and charity. He was previously honoured by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2003, when he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to football.