Review : Shabash Mithu : Shabash Taapsee!
Ours is a cricket loving country and sometimes cricket is considered a religion. Men in Blue get aplenty adulation (and money too) on par with film stars but the same can not be said about our women cricketers. Just like veteran cricketer #SunilGavaskar brought positive changes, remuneration wise, in Indian cricket, #MithaliRaj, who was the youngest Test player who represented India in international cricket, took up the responsibility to voice out women cricketer’s grievances. All they wanted was respect. Mithali Raj has the longest cricketing career across gender in the world. Though she was not an underdog, she raised issues on the national platforms so that the Women In Blue get due respect. #ShabashMithu is tale of Mithali Raj’s cricketing career as well as her fight to earn due respect. Director Srijit Mukherjee takes you through Mithali Raj’s life on professional as well as personal level.
Born in Hyderabad little Mithali, fondly called Mithu who is interested in Bharat Natyam, gets drawn to cricket by accident. Her tomboyish friend Noorie introduces her to this sport which becomes her passion throughout life. Coach Sampat (Vijay Raj) spots her talent and convinces her parents to send her for cricket training. Being a strict coach he helps Mithu master the techniques of the game. At a very young age she gets selected for the National Team and later made it’s captain. The storyline while telling Mithu’s (Taapsee Pannu) battles, it also delves into other women players’ plight. Your heart goes for these players when they are handed over used men cricketer’s jerseys, that too when they were to travel abroad representing their country. Another being while travelling to England in winter they are not allowed to carry excess baggage which included warm clothes. But Mithali’s career high points are not utilised to the fullest. Also the side stories look half baked.
Thought Shabash Mithu is cricketer Mithali Raj’s biopic, her laurels at the international levels are not highlighted, nor her captaining prowess. Good point is there’s no Dialoguebaazi and jingoism in the film. Subtle humour makes the film interesting. Cricket portions are well choreographed but should have been more. The other characters do not contribute to elevate Mithali’s character. The edge of the seat scenes are missing hence the movie travels at a steady pace. Though some may find the run time a little long (156M), the movie never drags. Music wise the film is okay.
Taapsee Pannu has aced the role and she seems to have gone under the skin of the character. Importantly Taapsee doesn’t mimic Mithali but displays the character’s sentiments ably. There are fewer dialogues and Taapsee talks through her expressions and body language. Vijay Raj, as usual, scores high with his impeccable style. Sameer Dharmadhikari (Mithali’s father), Titeeksha Tawde (player), Mumtaz (Jhoolan), Devadarshini (Mithali’s mother) lend good support.
Shabash Mithu which is a biopic of India’s most prolific women cricketer Mithali Raj is definitely a one time watch.
***