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| Mr & Mrs Mahi Movie Review (Photo Credit –Facebook) |
Bollywood is no stranger to the underdog sports movie, delivering stories of grit and
determination that can get anyone rooting for the underdog. Starting with classics like Lagaan — Chak De! And from India to more recent releases like Maidaan, the concept is eerily familiar. Coming very close is Mr and Mrs Mahi, which hits the screens with a resembling pitch, yet with a different twist: a cricket-centric love story directed by Sharan Sharma. The barrel of laughs is in full swing but the movie quickly bogs itself down with a tonally inconsistent predictable plot that fails to justify the two-hour runtime. But what the lead actors — Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor — give here is enough to make it not a total washout.
Plot Summary
Mahendra (Rajkummar Rao) and Mahima (Janhvi Kapoor) are a married couple, who have an excessive obsession with cricket, the love they have for each other is one thing but their love for the game is in a different league. Just out of college Mahima (Priyaank) stood first in her MBBS honors yet decided to leave her future as a successful doctor and make 6-packs as a cricketer. Once upon a time, a rising star in the cricket world, he fails to perform on the field and eventually takes on the role of Mahima's coach so that she can pursue her dreams.
The relationship examined is a rare vertical where the woman is the star player, which is new territory in Indian sports films. Mr and Mrs Mahi only makes a cursory attempt to unpack some of these layers, like the limitations of male fragility and the social stigma of a larger fish wife, and largely test the waters, but the waters are so interesting that there is quite some fascinating stuff there.
Strong Performances by Rajkummar and Janhvi
Rajkummar Rao, always effective and subtle, is great as Mahendra. His performance imbues vulnerability, defeat, and a quiet grace that elevates a film where the writing does not, One of the most unforgettable moments is when a small client inquires of Mahendra as to why his photo is not on the fame wall in his dad's sporting activities shop. When his father says, "Jo jeevan mein chakke lagate hain, wahi yahan nazar aate hain", it hits a nerve, speaking volumes of the demons Mahendra battles as an ex-cricketer who could never glow in cricket. Through this lens, it is clear this scene is a subtle jab at parental expectations and the repercussions of failure mise en scene.
Janhvi has spent a lot of time training for her role, and brings a fighting edge to her cricket scenes. But her character is not believable enough nor his journey new enough with the kind of appeal to make her developmental arc empowering. Janhvi looks earnestly committed, reuniting with her Gunjan Saxena director, but the character trajectory is one dimensional. Her chemistry with Rajkummar is palpable, and you get the feeling that if their relationship had been developed more, you would have been watching a more interesting film right now.
A Missed Opportunity for a Deeper Narrative
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| Mr & Mrs Mahi Movie Review (Photo Credit –Facebook) |
Although Mr and Mrs Mahi attempts to explore aspiration, gender roles, and a sense of self, the film is missing the emotional depth and friction needed to propel the film into the realm of greatness. Sharan Sharma and Nikhil Mehrotra, who have written the screenplay, begin with a premise that is engagingly relatable. The concept of going back to childhood dreams and rethinking their career choice harks back to something many viewers can relate to. That potential would be drained away as the film meanders, losing its purpose until it can do little more than collapse into the tropes of family drama.
The film in some ways tries to show what insecurities Mahendra feels with his wife rising as a star but these feelings sort of faintly pass over rather than being explicitly explored. With a cast of such prowess, nuance would have worked even brilliantly here, either in Mahendra’s conflicted soul or Mahima’s desire to live her dreams. The end result is a plot that feels like it was sent out half-baked, leaving viewers wanting a better understanding.
Memorable Scenes and Missed Shots
In one of the key sequences from Mr and Mrs Mahi, Mahendra's coach Benny Dayal Shukla (played by Rajesh Sharma), approaches Mahendra with a coaching opportunity. Mahendra then politely declines, saying, “Who asks a coach?” This line highlights the usually un-noticed work of coaches in sports movies, while acknowledging their sacrifices (always without the glamour side of the light). However, this film dosent hold on to moments like that, and relapses into rote filmmaking almost immediately thereafter.
Surprisingly, Mr and Mrs Mahi lacks the adrenaline and tension that a sports film usually brings with it. It neglects to make cricket feel exciting; the matches never rise to a level where tension would be appropriate. Combined with the pacing issues, this drags the film down, feeling both long and tedious at points.
Lacking Chemistry in the Cricketing Arena
Another highlight of the film is the chemistry between Rajkummar and Janhvi. Their friendship into romance and their support for one another is sweet, and their chemistry keeps the audience invested. But before their chemistry can blossom, the plot pulls them apart and the future of the plot leaves little room for any other character development. That romantic subplot, like so much of the rest of the film, is ultimately too simplistic to be particularly interesting or impactful, and just sort of sputters off into nothing, leaving the audience wanting more, just like the rest of the film.
Final Verdict: A One-Time Watch
Mr and Mrs Mahi is a mixed bag. Heartfelt but low on spark sports drama It boasts convincing performances by Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor but is not particularly narratively well-crafted to merit their talents well. Though the film tackles some universal themes and gives us an interesting spin on a sports setting with respect to gender relations, there are no key revolutions or highlights to be found.
While Bollywood slowly moves towards more nuanced and realistic narratives in sports dramas, Mr and Mrs Mahi appears to still have a formula-centric mindset. This is that trying film where romance, drama and sports meets and fail every time to justify any of them. Despite the effort by the lead pairing,which should be commended, the film doesn’t have much to offer as it inherits the shallowness of the characters, taking its own inexorable path to familiar and predictable territory.
On the whole, Mr and Mrs Mahi is an easy passable one time watch, primarily for Rajkummar and Janhvi fans — both of whom are impressive despite the (debatable) demerits of the film. The potential was there for an inspiring ode to dreams, determination, and the under-the-radar athletes who change lives, if only the script and pacing were tighter. It's a genuine effort that doesn't receive a six, but at least doesn't get given out of the crease.
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