Review Mr and Mrs Mahi

Mr. and Mrs. MahMy review failed to find many things worth praising in an average film.

A cricket match is underway at a stadium in Jaipur and two batsmen are grabbing everyone’s attention. With a limited number of balls left, an exciting finish is expected as both batsmen will go all out to score the last few runs needed to win.

Review Mr and Mrs Mahi

film: Mr. and Mrs. Mahi

Duration: 139 minutes

Director: Sharan Sharma

Mould: Rajkumar Rao, Janhvi Kapoor, Kumud Mishra and Zarina Wahab

Shading: Anay Goswami Music: Aadesh Shrivastava, Vishal Mishra, Tanishk Bagchi, Jaani, Achintya-Young, Honey-Bunny, Dhruv Dhalla and John Stewart Edur

Rating: ** 1/2

Batsman Mahendra warns the other striker not to try to be the hero, and instead orders him to save the ball and let him hit the winning shot. But his partner ignores his co-batsman’s advice, hits a boundary, and even hits another boundary off one of the last balls.

An enraged Mahendra stops midway in his run between the wickets and deliberately runs out his partner. Luckily he too fails to score the remaining four runs needed to win and is caught out by a fielder on the very next ball.

He is Mahendra aka Mahi (Rajkummar Rao), an ambitious but average player, who wants to outdo others in life even though he doesn’t have the talent to do so.

His being a fan of the legendary cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni seems coincidental as he has none of his hero’s qualities, be it on or off the field. He is also unhappy with his father’s (Kumud Mishra) wasting his time at his sports goods shop.

After three failed attempts to make it to the state cricket team, he wants to try his passion for the game again. His coach (Rajesh Sharma), who is more practical, sees no potential in his team members, and suggests Mahendra to become the coach. Not very happy with his coach’s advice, the stubborn Mahendra leaves in anger.

To make matters worse, his strict father, fed up with his procrastination, orders him to take over the family business the very next moment. He decides to get his son married to Mahima Sharma (Janhvi Kapoor), a doctor, whose parents (Purnendu Bhattacharya and Yamini Das) are impressed by Mahendra’s father’s exaggeration of his son’s abilities and false praise for him.

He justifies doing so by saying, “I am a salesman, I know how to sell.” Perhaps, he is well aware that Mahendra has few qualities as a failed cricketer, and has no other qualifications to be proud of.

The next day Mahendra feels guilty, gets restless and tells Mahima in private that whatever her father has claimed is all a lie. This melts Mahima and she is impressed by his honesty. She loves his honesty and sincerity and doesn’t want anyone else but him in her life. Interestingly, they both have the same nickname, Mahi and together they are called ‘Mr. and Mrs. Mahi’.

Soon, they discover their common love and passion for cricket. She is in fact an extremely talented player, as Mahendra realises after he recognises cricketing talent in his wife. He encourages her to pursue her dream of becoming a cricketer. “But I am a doctor by profession,” she argues. Nevertheless, he is unwavering in his commitment to foster her innate talent.

The only problem is that her love for cricket and training in the sport due to her natural talent will require her to give up her profession. She is unsure at first, mainly because her father wants her to become a doctor. After much hesitation, she gives in to her husband’s demands. Everything goes awry when Mahi tells both her parents about their resolution.

Mahendra is very excited to train Mahima and a timid and gradually unsure Mahima also follows her husband’s instructions and adjusts to her new role as a trainee student.

With only six months left for the Rajasthan state level selection, they have to act fast. The two leave no stone unturned to learn and hone all the skills required for Mahima to become a winner.

After months of hard work, when she joins the team, Mahi feels insecure as Mahima dominates television and he is completely sidelined. He gets irritated and misbehaves with her. His complaint is that he worked hard on Mahima and no one acknowledges him.

Not only is she shocked by the sudden change in his behaviour, but she also panics. She is so confused that she fails to perform well in even one of the league matches, leading the selection panel members to scold her about her falling standards.

Marital strife is not uncommon, and it is not uncommon for a marital union to suffer pangs of jealousy from two people who may be madly in love. This film, which purports to be a sports film, seems desperate to include all the elements of a family drama. The result is like falling between two chairs.

Mahendra’s self-doubt and failing career become even more complicated when he starts showing his baser instincts in his relationship. Rao, a fine actor, who tries to fulfill the demands of the script quite sincerely, pushes himself too much and at times, overemphasizes situations.

One thing is worth noting Mr. and Mrs. Mahi Then there are the silly demands of the script that keep Rao’s innate energy from flowing in a spontaneous manner. Still, as an actor he is worth watching.

Janhvi Kapoor, whose performance is more touching, is a natural. Her uncertain look, peculiar and partly ambiguous and partly undefined, is more ambiguous, and she interprets it well. The way she bats makes it clear that she is not a cricketer, at times trying to save her boundaries in a pose that has been rehearsed over and over again to smash the ball.

And all this, without a single hair out of place, not a drop of sweat on her face! Although, to be fair to her, she does make an impression.

Veteran actress Zarina Wahab has done a good job in a small role. I wish she was there in some important family scenes as well. On the other hand, talented actor Kumud Mishra doesn’t get much chance to adapt himself in an ambiguous character.

Camera work and music Mr. and Mrs. Mahi Effectively executed and quite satisfyingly for a film of this genre. One wonders why Dharma Productions made such an unspectacular and mediocre film!