Arshad Warsi returns for Jolly LLB 4 prequel, wrap by Jan 2027

Arshad Warsi is set to put on the black coat again. The actor will return as Jagdish Tyagi, the small-town lawyer known as Jolly, in the fourth instalment of the Jolly LLB franchise — but this time the story will look backwards, not forwards.

A prequel, not a sequel

The new film is being planned as a prequel, with Umesh Shukla directing. According to a Variety India report, filming is expected to wrap by January 2027, and the project is currently in the final stages of pre-production.

“The project is currently in the last leg of pre-production. And it’s not taking the film forward. It’s a prequel,” a source quoted by Variety India said.

The title has not been locked yet, and plot, setting and supporting cast have not been officially announced.

Why Warsi’s return matters

Warsi first played Jagdish Tyagi in Subhash Kapoor’s Jolly LLB in 2013, a courtroom comedy that built its appeal around an underdog lawyer navigating the legal system with humour and social commentary.

Akshay Kumar then headlined Jolly LLB 2 and Jolly LLB 3 as Jagdishwar Mishra, another lawyer known as Jolly. The third film brought both Jollys together for a courtroom face-off. A prequel puts the original character back at the centre while leaving the newer Jolly’s story untouched.

For fans, the prequel is also a chance to see the franchise reset around the character who started it all. Instead of extending the two-Jolly story, the makers can revisit Jagdish Tyagi’s early days — the small-town cases, sharp humour and moral clarity that made the 2013 film a word-of-mouth favourite.

What we know so far

• Arshad Warsi is confirmed to lead the fourth film.
• Umesh Shukla will direct; shooting is expected to wrap by January 2027.
• The title is yet to be finalised.
• There is no confirmation about the supporting cast, including Saurabh Shukla’s judge.

Shukla’s track record and the franchise’s bench

Shukla has directed the social satire OMG: Oh My God! and the character-driven comedy 102 Not Out, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor. That mix of humour and social observation could fit the franchise’s courtroom tone.

The earlier films also featured Amrita Rao, Boman Irani, Mohan Kapoor and Sanjay Mishra. Whether any of them reprise their roles in the prequel remains to be seen.

The box office benchmark

The last film gave the franchise a commercial reference point. Jolly LLB 3, directed by Subhash Kapoor and starring Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi, collected approximately Rs 117.50 crore net in India and a worldwide gross of around Rs 171.64 crore, according to Sacnilk’s box-office tracking cited in the report.

The fourth film is still a long way from release, so the prequel will need to win over fans on its creative promise for now. If the supporting cast announcements land well, the franchise could build anticipation without leaning solely on the two-Jolly face-off.

Source: The Times of India