Movie: Shabaash Mithu
Form: Taapsee Pannu, Vijay Raaz, Richard Bhakti Klein, Asad Ali Palijo, Shilpi Marwaha and more
Director: Srijit Mukherjee
Where to watch: In theaters
Review by: Vineeta Kumara
Cricket is god! In a country like India where people are united or divided over cricket, the sport occupies a very important position. And well, the cricketers are also regarded as nothing less than gods. From Sachin Tendulkar to MS Dhoni – we have seen many. Of all, it is Mithali Raj – former ODI and Test captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team who has shone the brightest. Shabaash Mithu of Taapsee Pannu is about her journey.
What is it about?
Directed by nationally award-winning filmmaker Srijit Mukherji, Shabaash tells Mithu Mithali’s journey from a Bharatanatyam dancer as a child to a dear friend, a sister, a daughter, a devoted player and the youngest captain in the history of international cricket. But does it stay true to what it promises to show? Does the story do justice to a national hero who symbolizes the evolution of women’s cricket in India? And does it match the ability of the actor in which it stars?
What’s hot?
Shabaash Mithu opens with a close-up shot of Hyderabad’s Charminar and we see Taapsee for the first time as Mithali – panting and coming to terms with the shabby realities of women’s cricket in India – where women are given men’s jerseys after management decides to do the cost-cutting, they are assigned to play 2-3 matches in a year, and where they have no ‘pehchaan’. Mithali wants to change that, and more. As a fantastic player who became the youngest cricketer to play international cricket, Mithu has accomplished so much on the pitch. However, the film limits its capabilities and its achievements.
Shabaash Mithu seems to be divided into three parts: the childhood where she meets her best friend and discovers her fascination with cricket, the younger days where she struggles to fit into the academy as a rookie player, and the time where she works hard to stay away. of the game, but realizes that cricket is her only calling. One thing the film clearly establishes is that great players are not born great, but they are trained to accept nothing short of greatness. The heart of the film seems to be in the right place. Only this time it turns out not to be enough. In the rest of the departments, the film faints.
What not?
Shabaash Mithu is like the same match that Mithali played with all her glory and strength but couldn’t win – a missed opportunity. The story and the incidents it weaves do not form a coherent whole. In more than one place the film looks a little broken and in some other places it seems to have been hastily woven. That’s not the most worrying thing, though. Shabaash Mithu underestimates you as a viewer and keeps you more trapped in the melodrama than Mithali’s cricketing moments. Its purpose of showing her struggle against patriarchy disappears the moment you see her become the target of her fellow women in the academy – a detail that could have been avoided to serve the greater purpose of eradicating misogyny from the field defeat. A scene in the film shows a British journalist asking Mithali about her favorite male cricketer. An enraged but gracious Mithali asks him to have a male cricketer answer ‘who is your favorite female cricketer.’ In another world, even the one with Bollywood’s clichéd storytelling style, it would have made for a powerful scene. But in this film, it gives a caricatural tone to the story where the emotions look forced and scenes half-baked.
verdict:
Mithali has had a privileged childhood where her ‘Have Not’ list remained empty for a long time until she lost the 2017 World Cup match in England. Director Srijit Mukherji saves that moment in his film. He also establishes Mithali’s bond with her coach Sampath Sir (greatly played by Vijay Raaz) through repeated close-ups of the Rudraksha necklace sitting proudly on her neck. But even with all these endearing moments at his disposal, the director fails to group them all together to give an unforgettable film for all time. The saddest part is that Mithali’s life is no less than a movie-like story itself, but when it actually comes out as a movie, you realize that something is missing every step of the way. Add to that the premature songs running in the background and you get the perfect recipe for ruining a heroic story in an attempt to make it look more commercially appealing.
Taapse and Vijay’s performances save the day, but not for long. In one of the good scenes right after Mithali faced her first heartbreak, her coach says, “Ye maidan zindagi ki tarah hai, yahan sab dard chhote hain bas khelna bada hai.” Well… only if the writers could play well!
Rating:
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