In one of the sequences from the movie Shabaash Mithu, Taapsee Pannu, who portrays the role of Mithali Raj, the former captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, prepares a list of the things she has and the things she lacks. But she is unable to compose without the necessary materials. This particular instance demonstrates that her fight was both psychological and systemic, rather than being a rags to riches tale. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough of these stirring scenes throughout the movie, which prevents the narrative from becoming flat and makes it a compelling watch.
Young Mithali, a Bharatanatyam devotee, resides in Hyderabad with her family. She likes cricket and begins playing it covertly with a pal (Noorie). One day, her trainer 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 girl is a natural and is improving dramatically every day, much to the chagrin of her brother, who wanted to play cricket. Her parents, though, encourage her goal. The movie then follows Mithali’s path and the several challenges she encountered throughout her career.
The supporting ensemble, which includes the two young actors Inayat Verma and Kasturi Jagnam, put in standout performances, while Shabaash Mithu performs during the first half just like a T20 tournament in the first six overs. The way Taapsee transforms into a youthful Mithali as she leads 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 trainer has also been widely researched.
In spite of everything, Taapsee Pannu does a good job playing the lead. She entirely gives herself over to being 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.
This Bollywood film about cricket combined the two national obsessions, yet it’s evident that the suspense and heart-pounding moments are absent. In the end, the movie lists a handful of Mithali Raj’s professional accomplishments and significant personal challenges, but it doesn’t reveal much more about her personality than the many headlines do. This narrative contains plenty of blood, sweat, and grit, but not a lot of true emotion.
Shabaash Mithu is a good effort despite its shortcomings, nevertheless. The movie has honesty and was well made. It is worth seeing for the journey of the lady who has been instrumental in the phenomenal growth of Indian women’s cricket over the past 20 years.
Rating: 3.5