Starring: Rajkummar Rao, Janhvi Kapoor, Zarina Wahab, Kumud Mishra, Rajesh Sharma
Director: Sharan Sharma
A sporty film that isn’t a biopic dropped as a breath of fresh air on Netflix recently, with its name a nod to one of India’s most popular cricketing legends – Mahendra Singh Dhoni a.k.a. Mahi.
Mahendra Agarwal or Mahi (Rao) lives, breathes and dreams cricket, with ambitions to be selected for the Rajasthan state team and then eventually making a mark for Team India on the global pitch. However, a mis-timed shot that gets him caught out at the boundary sounds the death knell for his cricketing ambitions as it uses up the very last chance his father (Mishra) had given him before he must turn shopkeeper at the family’s sporting goods store.
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A frustrated Mahi extremely reluctantly gives in and when his family arrange his marriage with his namesake, Mahima/Mahi (Kapoor), he lets his doctor bride-to-be in on the reality of his crushed dreams. Impressed by his honesty, Mahima agrees to the match and the newly-weds embark on a cricket-fuelled fun honeymoon phase as they discover their mutual love for the game.
What Mr Mahi discovers quite accidentally is that his wife is not only an avid fan but that above average cricketer that he had aspired to be! He convinces her to give up on her medical rota that is making her unhappy and pursue her childhood love for the bat. With her husband as her devoted coach, Mr & Mrs Mahi soon surmount the many hurdles to impress the selectors with her confident strokes. The ecstasy of his wife making it into the state squad is overshadowed by her husband’s role as coach going unacknowledged. Will Mr & Mrs Mahi be able to overcome the ego clashes and disappointments in store or will cricket strike out their romantic bond?
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This film is quite clearly crafted by cricket lovers as it captures the highs and lows of the game beautifully, without it ever dominating the narrative. Both the lead actors are ideally suited to their roles and some poignant moments involving Zarina Wahab as Rao’s on-screen mother will tug at the heartstrings. The storyline of a marital ego clash is reminiscent of the Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan 1970s classic ‘Abhimaan’, deftly updated to 21st century sensibilities.
This one is most certainly a sporty romance worth adding to the watchlist over a lazy weekend.