'Mr & Mrs Mahi': Janhvi Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao deliver in this tale of ambition and redemption

Transcript

00:00This may not be as exciting as an IPL final, but it has its good moments.

00:06Mr. & Mrs. Mahi, starring Janhvi Kapoor and Rajkumar Rao, is the latest Bollywood movie

00:12that's released in the UAE cinemas. This may not be as exciting as an IPL final,

00:16but it has its good moments. We are talking about Janhvi Kapoor and Rajkumar's new movie

00:21called Mr. & Mrs. Mahi. This is a new Bollywood film directed by Sharan Sharma.

00:26We have Rajkumar Rao, who plays Mahendra, who is an aspiring cricketer. He comes from the state

00:32of Rajasthan. He wants to represent his state in the country-level cricket match, but then he fails

00:38and his overbearing and toxic father, played by Kumud Mishra, convinces him to join his family

00:44business. He is very unhappy, but his life takes a different spin when he meets Janhvi Kapoor's

00:50character, who plays Mahima. She is also known as Mahi. So, Mr. & Mrs. Mahi form this unique

00:56partnership where they decide to pursue cricket. Apparently, as a kid, she wanted to be a

01:01cricketer, but her passive-aggressive father convinced her that following medicine is a great

01:06idea. She relents, she is happy, but then it's her husband, Mahendra, who convinces her that

01:11it's not up to your parents to chart your dreams, it's up to you to make those life choices.

01:16There are several interesting themes that are explored in this drama. We have a guy who

01:20suffers from real low self-esteem. He then looks to his wife, turns to be her cheerleader, looking

01:26for respect from the outside world and from her, without realizing that somewhere the respect has

01:31to come from within. So, this movie does deal with a lot of dynamics between even parents and

01:36children, how Indian overbearing parents often don't know what is best for their kids, etc.

01:41There are several complex themes that are addressed in this movie. The problem is that

01:46it is all packed into one and a half hours or two hours film, so it kind of gets lost in

01:51translation. There's also this interesting dynamic where Rajkumar Rao's character gets jealous of

01:56Janhvi Kapoor's rising success. She becomes a cricketer, whereas he feels that he's not being

02:01credited enough despite being her coach, despite giving her life direction and renewed purpose.

02:08All of those issues on the surface are dealt with nicely, but there is no depth to it and that's

02:14where the film fails. When it comes to performances, Rajkumar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor are on a very

02:20strong wicket. They give it their all, they put their best foot forward. In the beginning,

02:24the chemistry isn't very apparent, but as the movie grows along, the pair grows on us. But the

02:30sad part about it, although it is powered by very good performances, even from Kumud Mishra, who

02:35plays a very overbearing Indian dad, or Zarina Wahab, who plays Rajkumar Rao's very understanding

02:40mother, who gives him a crash course on adulting, I feel that all these characters are sometimes a

02:46bit lost and you get a bit bored. Somewhere along the way, you feel the conflicts in the film are

02:52very repetitive. I mean, we have seen this theme of a jealous husband, you know, a husband who's

02:58extremely jealous of a very successful wife. We have seen that in movies like Abhiman. So,

03:02you feel that it's just being forced into it, it's not very convincing. But when it comes to

03:07performances, I think that's the strong point of this film. This movie may lag in between,

03:12and you may find yourself checking your phone from time to time, but I think the heart is in

03:16its right place. So, therefore, you go along with the ride. I've gone with 2.5 out of 5.

03:22For our full review, you can always go to gulfnews.com. And do tell us what you think of the movie.