‘Gunjan Saxena’ director Sharan Sharma re-unites with leading lady Janhvi Kapoor for ‘Mr and Mrs Mahi’, which should have been, by all rights, called Mrs and Mr Mahi: this let’s-put-the-woman forward story deserved that switch in the title. But it also tells you something about the difficulties that mainstream Bollywood still faces in putting its feminist intentions right out front.
It may have begun with Mahendra (Rajkummar Rao) desperate to break free from the deadly ennui of helping out in his father’s sports shop by playing the game professionally, but this film’s heart, like the hero’s, begins to beat only when Mahima (Janhvi Kapoor) enters the scene.
Both individuals stuck in places they don’t enjoy, both finding joy in cricket: this is an interesting little knot in a plot which starts off by going down the pitch with pleasing confidence, coming into its own with a spray of sixers, but then comes up against tonal confusion: if it says hurrah too loudly for this Mahi, will those who are rooting for the other Mahi be upset? What will the conservative audience which likes its differences in small, incremental steps be put off? In trying to please everyone, ‘Mr and Mrs Mahi’ stops short of being a six itself.
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Kapoor’s Mahi, who has acquired a daddy-approved MBBS degree and a dead-beat hospital job, is happiest when hitting that little red ball into the stands. On her ‘suhaagraat’, she’d rather wake up early for an important India match, rather than you know what. Rao’s Mahi, who has a problem of being altogether too truthful, not only finds a soul-mate in this cricket-mad wife, but also a purpose: her natural, raw talent can be honed, and she can play for the country, so what if he couldn’t, and he’s the man for the job.
Up until a point, all goes swimmingly. There’s no one better than Rao in playing a regular guy with no special talent, and Kapoor is quite capable of filling up a character (apart from Gunjan Saxena, her 2022 ‘Goodluck Jerry’ gave her a chance to show us a comedic side). But then male ego and jealousy rears its ugly head, leading to an obvious rift, and leading us to an even more obvious climax, with a second half which feels longer than it is.
In the end, you can see the confusion clearly. The film is giving us a rom com nestled in India’s favourite sports, which in turn is nestled in the tropes of the family-entertainer movie. So sure, that’s the way, Mahi Ve. But which Mahi are we are meant to be rooting for: her, him, or both? Are we, the audience, ready for a hero who will stand by and see the heroine get all the limelight? That’s the real question.
Mr and Mrs Mahi movie cast: Rajkummar Rao, Janhvi Kapoor, Kumud Mishra, Rajesh Sharma, Zarina Wahab, Purnendu Bhattacharya, Arijit Taneja
Mr and Mrs Mahi movie director: Sharan Sharma
Mr and Mrs Mahi movie rating: 2.5 stars
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