Shabaash Mithu Review : Taapsee Pannu fails to showcase nail-biting moments with this slow-paced biopic
Shabaash Mithu Review
- Movie: Shabaash Mithu
- Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Vijay Raaz
- Director: Srijit Mukerji
- Rating: **
Story:
Young Mithali, a Bharatanatyam enthusiast, resides in Hyderabad with her family. She likes cricket and begins playing it covertly with a friend (Noorie). One day, her coach Sampath (Vijay Raaz) spots her using a washing paddle as a bat, stones in place of fielders, and wooden logs for stumps. He persuades her to exchange her ghungroos for a bat. The child is natural and is improving dramatically every day, much to the chagrin of her brother, who wanted to play cricket. Her parents, though, support her goal. The movie then follows Mithali’s path and the several challenges she encountered throughout her career.
Shabaash Mithu Review:
With outstanding performances from the supporting cast, particularly the two young actors Inayat Verma and Kasturi Jagnam, Shabaash Mithu thrives in the first half much like a T20 match in the first six overs. The way Taapsee transforms into a young Mithali as she takes us through the cricketer’s formative years, when she battles to fit in at the academy as a rookie player, is also fantastic. The relationship between the cricket player and her coach has also been widely researched.
After the intermission, the movie, unfortunately, lacks momentum. It never seems like Mithali is a fully developed character. When she is at the top of her game in cricket, she makes the snap decision to leave when she can no longer control her fury. She then returns home with the purpose of finding a partner. Because the producers don’t use the incident to highlight Mithali’s unpredictable nature, it has almost no dramatic impact.
The film’s makers, Srijit Mukherjee and Priya Avena, attempt to address far too many issues, including women’s emancipation, the poor treatment of female cricket players by government organizations, the ignorance of the Indian public toward the women’s cricket team, the challenge women face in juggling their personal and professional lives, and, of course, the film’s overarching patriotic theme. Key figures like the encouraging parents, the tenacious coach, a closest buddy, and a few sleazy bureaucrats from the cricket board are painted by the authors with broad strokes.
In spite of the uninspired writing, Taapsee Pannu does a good job playing the lead. She entirely gives herself over to becoming Mithali Raj, but she also takes care to avoid sounding like her. She adopts the role of Mithali right away and keeps committed to it.
Shabaash Mithu Verdict:
Shabaash Mithu is a good effort despite its shortcomings, nevertheless. The movie has sincerity and was well made. It is worth seeing for the journey of the woman who has been instrumental in the phenomenal growth of Indian women’s cricket over the past 20 years.
