Shaabash Mithu is a biopic that attempts to be different from other biopics. This film doesn't have the usual tropes that are found in an Indian biopic, instead the director has tried to keep things a bit more on the realistic side. It's a journey of a hero, but you won't find any loudness or emotional outbursts or melodrama or scenes that give you goosebumps, because that's not how real life is. The characters of this film are extremely grounded and understated; the actions of characters may seem unusual by movie standards, but that is only because the director has tried to keep things as close to reality as possible. I was actually quite impressed with this approach, as the over the top, high voltage drama approach has been used so many times, that there is no excitement left in it at all. It's quite ironic, that this understated way of storytelling, which is being criticized by many for being boring, actually had my intrigue and kept me engaged for almost the entirety of the film.
The first time I saw Taapsee Pannu in a film, I found her to be an extremely talented actress; but over a period of time, what happened was that Taapsee did a number of films in which the stories kept changing, but her role and style of performance remained the same. It always felt like she was playing herself in every film, and not a particular character. What didn't help either was that a new film of hers appeared every few months. So, I was quite relieved to see her finally play a character and not herself in Shabaash Mithu. Throughout the film she remained true to the character handed out to her, and expressed beautifully the various emotional states of Mithali, without ever going over the top. Casting Taapsee to portray Mithali was also a good decision in my honest opinion, as she does resemble Mithali Raj in quite a few scenes. Sai Pallavi could also have been a fantastic choice to portray Mithali, but this being a Hindi film, it's easy to see why an actress from south wasn't selected.
Taapsee may be the lead actress of this film, but her performance is not the only one that stands out. Two of the most memorable performances of the film have been given by child actresses Kasturi Jagnam and Inayat Verma, playing the roles of Young Noorie and Young Mithali respectively. Those two young girls capture your attention as soon as they appear on screen and leave you surprised with their sparkling performances. I really hope they find the right guidance and plenty of opportunities because both of them are exceptionally talented. I was so intrigued by their storyline that I just wanted the movie to be about those two little girls.
The majority of the film was paced very well and managed to engage me so well that for the first hundred minutes or so I didn't even bother to check my phone even once. Quite often I have noticed Biopics not having any kind of flow at all, as various random events from the protagonist's life are put together to showcase his or her journey. In order to cover as many events and milestones as possible, more often than not scenes are cut very quickly not allowing them the breathing space they deserve. Thankfully, no such problems occur in 'Shabaash Mithu' as there is a natural and organic flow in the film and at no point did I feel that the director was rushing through with the story.
Shabaash Mithu is a good film but not a great film because it does have it's fair share of shortcomings. The length of the film is a bit too much; after having watched it for about two hours, I got a little tired and just wished for it to get over soon. After Mitali settles into the Indian cricket team, the screenplay starts slipping; it almost felt like the writers and director didn't really know how to proceed further. Also, the cricket world cup wasn't depicted properly at all; I remember how excited I was to watch the matches played in 'Chak De India', and every single match managed to intrigue me as it was depicted beautifully; unfortunately, Shabaash Mithu just couldn't do the same, as the matches flashed by and I didn't care for them at all. The music of the film is extremely lackluster; Amit Trivedi has shockingly failed to deliver even a single memorable song in the film.
Shabaash Mithu is a movie that constantly tries to steer clear of all the predictable tropes associated with a biopic, a move that wasn't received very well by the critics, but I don't consider it to be a bad decision at all. It's much better to experiment and make mistakes, than to adopt the herd mentality and stop being creative. Shabaash Mithu chronicles the story of a hero who thoroughly deserved a biopic because of her immense contribution in transforming women's cricket in India; a story that would compel you to find out more about women's cricket in India. This film puts the spotlight on issues that are relevant not only for female sportspersons but women in general, and makes an effort to give them the respect that they have always deserved.
The first time I saw Taapsee Pannu in a film, I found her to be an extremely talented actress; but over a period of time, what happened was that Taapsee did a number of films in which the stories kept changing, but her role and style of performance remained the same. It always felt like she was playing herself in every film, and not a particular character. What didn't help either was that a new film of hers appeared every few months. So, I was quite relieved to see her finally play a character and not herself in Shabaash Mithu. Throughout the film she remained true to the character handed out to her, and expressed beautifully the various emotional states of Mithali, without ever going over the top. Casting Taapsee to portray Mithali was also a good decision in my honest opinion, as she does resemble Mithali Raj in quite a few scenes. Sai Pallavi could also have been a fantastic choice to portray Mithali, but this being a Hindi film, it's easy to see why an actress from south wasn't selected.
Taapsee may be the lead actress of this film, but her performance is not the only one that stands out. Two of the most memorable performances of the film have been given by child actresses Kasturi Jagnam and Inayat Verma, playing the roles of Young Noorie and Young Mithali respectively. Those two young girls capture your attention as soon as they appear on screen and leave you surprised with their sparkling performances. I really hope they find the right guidance and plenty of opportunities because both of them are exceptionally talented. I was so intrigued by their storyline that I just wanted the movie to be about those two little girls.
The majority of the film was paced very well and managed to engage me so well that for the first hundred minutes or so I didn't even bother to check my phone even once. Quite often I have noticed Biopics not having any kind of flow at all, as various random events from the protagonist's life are put together to showcase his or her journey. In order to cover as many events and milestones as possible, more often than not scenes are cut very quickly not allowing them the breathing space they deserve. Thankfully, no such problems occur in 'Shabaash Mithu' as there is a natural and organic flow in the film and at no point did I feel that the director was rushing through with the story.
Shabaash Mithu is a good film but not a great film because it does have it's fair share of shortcomings. The length of the film is a bit too much; after having watched it for about two hours, I got a little tired and just wished for it to get over soon. After Mitali settles into the Indian cricket team, the screenplay starts slipping; it almost felt like the writers and director didn't really know how to proceed further. Also, the cricket world cup wasn't depicted properly at all; I remember how excited I was to watch the matches played in 'Chak De India', and every single match managed to intrigue me as it was depicted beautifully; unfortunately, Shabaash Mithu just couldn't do the same, as the matches flashed by and I didn't care for them at all. The music of the film is extremely lackluster; Amit Trivedi has shockingly failed to deliver even a single memorable song in the film.
Shabaash Mithu is a movie that constantly tries to steer clear of all the predictable tropes associated with a biopic, a move that wasn't received very well by the critics, but I don't consider it to be a bad decision at all. It's much better to experiment and make mistakes, than to adopt the herd mentality and stop being creative. Shabaash Mithu chronicles the story of a hero who thoroughly deserved a biopic because of her immense contribution in transforming women's cricket in India; a story that would compel you to find out more about women's cricket in India. This film puts the spotlight on issues that are relevant not only for female sportspersons but women in general, and makes an effort to give them the respect that they have always deserved.