Most runs in career (7,805; WODIs)A 22 years 274 days career (WODIs)Hundred on debut (WODIs)Youngest player to score a double hundred (Test)Most matches as captain (155; WODIs)
(Cricinfo)
And, many more.
And, Shabaash Mithu just doesn’t do justice to Mithali Raj’s staggering stats. The iconic cricketer’s biopic is a damp squib and at best a pass-mark film, hurriedly put together, lacking depth and soul.
Full marks to Srijit Mukherji for accepting the challenge of taking up the reins of the film when the original director bailed out and captaining it to a one-time-watch finish, but the film fails to capture any of Mithali Raj’s steely grit, her trademark, which is palpable even in interviews. Or, her nonchalance. Much like a certain M.S. Dhoni.
The story spans Mithali’s childhood and her blossoming into one of the finest cricketers in our lifetime who revolutionised women’s cricket in India almost single-handedly, leading from the front. Shabaash Mithu lacks Mithali’s aura and is a puny projection of what is an absolutely unmatchable career.
It is a Bollywoodised version of a champion who is anything but dramatic. Having met Mithali Raj in person, I can tell you her calm candour is so disarming that you can almost forget you are sitting in front of a cricketer who has the rare feat of leading India in a World Cup final twice. Mithali once told t2 in a chat that she pursued cricket to fulfil her father’s dreams. “Yes, it took me a long time to tap that passion in me which I had for dance (Bharatanatyam). Until then it was only a dream that I wanted to live for my dad because he wanted me to be a cricketer. My mom felt that whatever I choose I have to be the best in that field,” Mithali had told us. Her parents played a crucial role in her becoming Mithali Raj. The film relegates her parents to the back-burner. Really, Mithali, you were okay with that? In fact, if you’ve heard her story from the horse’s mouth, Shabaash Mithu would come across as a masala version of a fictional Mithali Raj, put together with facts and figures gathered from the Internet.
There are cute moments when you see little Mithali (who will remind you of Fatima Sana Shaikh in Chachi 420) playing cricket with a washing paddle. Towards the end when a big group of little girls come and hug Mithali, you do feel your lips curling into a smile.
The moments are few and far between though. Taapsee Pannu does hit the ball well, but not as Mithali Raj. She is crippled by poor writing and patchwork execution. And, what’s with the teeth and pursed lips? So distracting.
The most engaging moments of Shabaash Mithu come in the form of match footage from India’s memorable World Cup campaign in 2017. Though they lost to England in the finals, it became a watershed moment in women’s cricket in India.
What’s most disappointing is that being an avid cricket lover and watcher, Srijit Mukherji didn’t want to probe into the person Mithali Raj and rather presented a superficial caricature. Will a young girl watching Mithali’s story unfold on the big screen want to take up the willow and smash it out of the park? Most would stream it on a Sunday if they have nothing better to watch.
The big daddies of Hindi films will really have to stop taking their audience for granted. Why make a farce of releasing a film on a Friday if it’s just like a routine medical test before it goes on a streaming platform? Stop selling OTT content as films. As dreams.
I was most excited to see Sourav Ganguly’s name in the credits. And, if this is what our film-makers are going to do with our sporting icons, we’d rather not have a Ganguly biopic.
Bapi bari ja.
Shabaash Mithu (U)
Director: Srijit Mukherji
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Vijay Raaz, Mumtaz Sorcar, Brijendra Kala
Running time: 162.37 minutes
