Mr & Mrs Mahi Review - Victorious Partnership!

Ashwin Ram

Mr. & Mrs. Mahi is a sports drama starring Rajkumar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor in the lead roles. Directed by Sharan Sharma and bankrolled by Karan Johar under the Dharma Productions banner.

Premise:

Rajkumar Rao is an aspiring cricketer. But he could not progress beyond club level. He gets married to Janhvi Kapoor who is a doctor by profession, for him to earn respect from the people around him, he decides to coach his wife who is a natural talent of the sport and the game begins.

Writing/ Direction:

A slight tint of gray is beautifully incorporated in writing Rajkumar Rao’s character and that pretty much sets everything for the film in terms of staging and conflict. We get to travel along with him right from the start as a fellow human, hence the life-message he realizes in life towards the end gets easily connected to the audience as well. Similarly, Janhvi Kapoor’s character was equally empathetic in her initial portions and levels up after that by taking the center stage as the film progresses. The chemistry is amazing between the lead pair, not for their performances alone but predominantly because of the small joyful and emotional moments the director has created. So we easily feel for them when they temporarily fall apart. The best part of the film is its sensibly written dialogues that are woven with relevant topics as examples. Everything surrounding the family and sport in terms of drama has been skillfully done, but the sport itself demanded more respect. Absolutely no punch in the cricket matches as the on-ground drama is missing. And also, Janhvi Kapoor being not-so-effective with the bat made the game look like a stitched compilation video rather than giving a wholesome experience. Also, the logic of getting selected in the Indian team in a snap is bothersome, especially given the fact that the girl had played only six months of professional cricket before she was picked. The impact could have been stronger if these factors had taken a better care.

Performances:

Rajkumar Rao’s characterization is so humane with ego, selfishness… he has portrayed it in a natural manner. Mature performance from Janhvi Kapoor, she has meticulously focused even on the smallest of her expressions during the dramatic talkie portions, wish she had put more effort into batting. Superb role for Kumud Mishra, he was solid throughout as a nagging father and scored high in the emotional climax. Rajesh Sharma plays a meaningful role as the cricket coach, no big scope for acting but his character made an impact.

Technicalities:

Passable songs, not bad but no memorable stuff either. Decent background score, provided what was required for a sports drama during the dramatic stretches and match portions, but nothing exceptional as a motivating theme of a sort. Out of ground sequences have been shot and cut well, good team effort by the cinematographer and the editor in presenting the cricket matches, they have tried to hide the flaws of Janhvi not being able to gracefully pull-off the game by working out things conveniently.

Bottomline

Though the cricket matches lack tension and style, the drama outside of that is great. The performances, the way the lead pair’s relationship is presented and an engaging screenplay make it a sweet film to watch.

Rating - 3/ 5