Mr & Mrs Mahi Movie Review – Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor put their best foot forward to hit the ball out of stadium!
Mr & Mrs Mahi
A middle-class man rising like a phoenix (with a twist though) after his dream of becoming a cricketer gets shattered!
The film starts off with a special thanks to Mahendra Singh Dhoni (M S Dhoni). The viewers are then taken to the year 2017, when they get to witness a cricket match that is being played between Shukla Stars and Achievers Club. On strike (batting) is none other than Mahendra Agarwal aka Mahi (Rajkummar Rao), who, in order to impress the selectors, intentionally gets the other batsman out as he did not listen to him. But, as luck would have it, despite being at the striker’s end, Mahi gets caught and is sent back, thus, losing the match as well as an opportunity to impress the selectors.
This is then followed by Mahi convincing his ‘super-opportunist-salesman’ (Kumud Mishra, in top form as always) to allow him to play for one more year so that he can pursue his dream of becoming a cricketer. But, the father in him, disallows Mahi to pursue the game of cricket any further, which, eventually leads him to manage his father’s sports shop.
Just like any other middle-class family, Mahi’s parents too start looking for a suitable alliance for him. The buck stops at Dr. Mahima aka Dr. Mahi (Janhvi Kapoor), who, despite all the ‘flaws’ says yes to the marriage, as she finds a selflessly honest human being in him. While on one hand, Mahi starts feeling out-spaced in the sports shop, on the other hand, Dr. Mahi is sick and tired of following the instructions of her senior doctor.
One fine day, Mahi happens to witness the near-perfect batting skills of his wife Dr. Mahi. Seeing this, he offers to coach her and make her a top-class cricketer, something that both their parents disapprove of. Will both the Mahis be successful and able to convince their strict parents, what happens to Dr. Mahi and her medical career, do the love life of the Mahis be able to sustain the storm is what forms the rest of the film!
First things first. The film ‘Mr & Mrs Mahi’ is not a biopic on Mahendra Singh Dhoni aka Mahi. Full marks to the film’s director Sharan Sharma for having been able to treat a subject like cricket with a treatment like never-before. What makes this film stand out is that, amongst the plethora of films which have been made on cricket, it’s the simplicity and no-nonsense approach towards the film’s script and narrative that makes it stand apart from the rest!
As for the performances, because Sharan Sharma has worked with Janhvi Kapoor in the past (Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl), the comfort level between an actor and director looks flawless, which results in the latter delivering one of her career-best performances. There are places when her character tends to go a bit astray, but, thanks to the director and Rajkummar Rao, nothing seems lost. There are moments when the film gives the feeling of being inspired by other films like Chak De India and a few more… but, thanks to the director, the very thought gets nipped in the bud stages itself!
Speaking of Rajkummar Rao, full marks to this man for having ensured that he does not over shadow Janhvi’s character. The feelings, the anxiety, the helplessness, the ego hassles, the ‘sach bolne ki himmat’ and other traits of his character are totally relatable and does not look thrusted. With this, Rajkummar Rao has added yet another feather in his cap of great performances, if not career defining!
Besides them, there is Kumud Mishra, who plays Hardayal Aggarwal, a self-confessed opportunistic salesman. Do not miss him convincing a small kid at his shop, when he goes to buy a bat! At the same time, his anger and frustration as a father towards his non-achiever son looks so very natural! Rest of the characters like Rajesh Sharma (Benny Dayal Shukla), Zarina Wahab (Geeta Aggarwal) and others do their bit to take the film forward!
As for the film’s music, except for the Mohammad Faiz sung ‘Dekhha Tenu’, none of the other tracks hold any recall value. At the same time, the songs in the film blend seamlessly with the narrative and doesn’t look forced. The film’s editing however, could have been trimmed a bit… more towards the second half! The film’s cinematography (Anay Goswamy) is really worth mentioning.
All in all, do watch Mr & Mrs Mahi if you are a lover of the game of cricket, sportsmanship, neat performances and a convincing direction! Treat yourself and your family by watching this film. You will surely thank us later!