Ek Ruka Hua Faisla (1986) – 7.5/10 – Decent Indian remake of ‘12 Angry Men’
EK RUKA HUA FAISLA is an Indian remake of the legendary (and one of my favorite films) TWELVE ANGRY MEN. It’s a legal drama surrounding the trial of a teenage boy accused of killing his father. A jury’s job is to consider each piece of evidence before reaching a decision. Otherwise, personal biases and experiences decide the outcome, which could wrongly affect lives. A lawyer’s presentation alone cannot be enough because a lawyer will defend their client and present the evidence with the job to win. Lawyers craft the narrative to win, and the jury shapes the facts they want to see. I thought the remake was well done. But it can never compare to the original, a classic starring Henry Fonda and Lee Cobb.
A teenage boy is on trial for his father’s murder. The court’s closing argument wraps up, and the guard leads the twelve-member jury to contemplate their decision. Once in the jury room, all but one juror consider the boy guilty. The case appears open and shut with nothing to discuss, and the jury decision set. They are ready to go home, if not for Juror Number 8. He urges consideration of the information and attempts to convince them to his side using reason and casting doubts on the evidence.
All things considered, EK RUKA HUA FAISLA is a satisfactory film. The standouts were an incredible script, decent acting, and fine direction. As for issues, I noticed moments of overacting and poor acting, but these are B-actors. The pacing was lacking early on. This movie examines themes such as justice, personal bias, rights, faulty evidence, and decision-making. The writer may have plagiarized the original with excessive similarities. I didn’t spot acknowledgment anywhere that 12 ANGRY MEN inspired this film either. That’s a controversial choice. There’s also the fact that India has not had jury trials since 1973. The judges hear the cases and reach a verdict. I suspect plagiarism took place. However, I did not watch the movie to check for plagiarism, so I won’t consider that in my rating. This was a low-budget film and didn’t make money.
Would I recommend this? No, check out the original. The original 12 ANGRY MEN will blow your minds and is one of the ten greatest films ever. This is the closest you will find without rewatching 12 ANGRY MEN. The English subtitles are difficult to follow here, which limits accessibility for most people. The original remains better in every facet. My rating is 8/10.
*Any trivia facts were obtained from IMDB’s trivia page and plot/basic history/names information from Wiki
