Shabaash Mithu Review

Introduction

The 2022 Indian biographical sports film Shabaash Mithu, produced by Viacom18 Studios, is directed by Srijit Mukherji. In the film based on the life of Mithali Raj, the former Test and ODI captain of the Indian women's cricket team, Taapsee Pannu plays the title role. It describes the highs, lows, and finest moments of Mithali's life. On July 15, 2022, the film was released. Despite receiving average to good reviews from critics, it was a big box office failure, bringing in less than a tenth of its budget.

Movie Plot

Mithu received her Bharatnatyam dance training in Hyderabad, where she met Noorie. Noorie was a tomgirl who was happiest playing cricket, unlike Mithu, who was graceful from an early age. Her loud voice would confront anyone who went to make fun of her on the pitch. She was enrolled in the dance class by her mother, who wanted her to be graceful and feminine. But Noorie convinced Mithu to play cricket with her instead of encouraging her to pursue a dance career. When Mithu and Noorie went to deliver a tiffin to Mithu's older brother during his cricket practice, everything began. Mithu caught the ball when her brother threw the ball in the air. Angered, her brother began to accuse Mithu of interfering with his game. Noorie fought with him on Mithu's behalf because she could not stand the insult.

Everyone in Mithu's family, especially her grandma, was quite upset over Noorie's influence over her. But Noorie's eyes saw a way out of their dilemma. Mithali began batting for the first time when she proposed that they use the laundry paddle as the cricket bat. Noorie taught her the fundamentals, and they eventually rounded up some friends to perform for them. Mithali discovered that one of the most crucial elements of cricket was the friendship between the players when they became their team's Sachin and Kambli.

When they discovered they were playing cricket one morning, the boys made fun of the girls' guts. But Noorie did not think it was wise to give up. She demanded that Mithu bowl against the boys. Noorie was holding a washing paddle, but she was aware that her friend was remarkable. Though the young girls were crazy, the boys bowled the first ball, but to their astonishment, Mithali was not kidding around. She took each ball on with fantastic skill, attention, and determination. Coach Sampath kept a close eye on her bat. He was impressed and wished she would go into business for herself. Although Mithali's family was shocked to know that coach Sampath preferred that their daughter pursue a career in cricket rather than their boy, her father nevertheless approved of her training. Noorie had received bowling instruction, but her family needed to know this. After lying for seven years, she eventually confronted her father, and he pushed her to marry at age 15.

Before leaving her home to wed the man her father had chosen for her, Noorie wrote Mithu a letter. She added that she wished for Mithu to be chosen for the national camp and ultimately to play for the Indian cricket team, but she could not convince her parents to support her ambition. The loss of her closest friend didn't stop Mithu from performing spectacularly. She wasn't simply playing to achieve her aim; she was also doing it to keep up with Noorie's request. She impressed the selection committee and was allowed to join the national camp. Her grandma and brother left the house unhappy as her parents were thrilled with the news. When Mithali got to the Women's Cricket Board, she felt her dream of training with other excellent female cricketers had come true. However, at first, her dream turned into a nightmare.

Movie Cast

Review from Different Platforms

Times of India

Critic's Rating: 3.0/5

Average User's Rating: 3.1/5

Review:

Shabaash Mithu by Srijit Mukherji aims to seize your interest and pull you into Mithali Raj's world within the first few minutes of the film's running length. Before deciding to pursue cricket, little Mithali began her career as a Bharatnatyam dancer. In a sport dominated by her male competitors, she eventually became one of our country's youngest players to represent India internationally.

The movie purposefully captures the underlying emotion that the team must have experienced during the entire process, from Mithali's fight against various such issues to the team's experiences with being teased and denied equal opportunity. Mithali's cricket career is gradually linked with the tale of the women's national team fighting for attention in the heat. It is a touching story of an underdog without sentimental imagery or nationalistic stereotypes.

Taapsee Pannu puts much effort into internalising Mithali Raj's personality. The best element of her performance is that rather than mimicking the cricketer, she puts herself in Mithali's position, absorbs, and portrays the feelings Mithali would have felt at various points in time, and does so without the aid of any powerful dialogue delivery. She also radiates comfort while playing cricket on the pitch.

The less than three-hour run the length of Shabaash Mithu seems much longer. The songs barely advance the plot; if anything, they make it go more slowly. Even though the movie's main character is known to be less expressive, nothing stops the screenplay from being written with a little more energy and humour.

Another area that required much more attention was the growth of the other major characters, who might have substantially contributed to emphasizing additional details and layers in Mithali's personal and professional career. The film could better depict the exciting events that would have happened in her life, particularly around the 2017 World Cup. One of the most well-known players in women's cricket today, Mithali, will leave those eagerly awaiting the movie's release on her wanting more. It would be helpful to see one of her famous victories again.

India Today

Rating: 3.5/5

Review:

Sports drama has always fascinated Bollywood. Most of them have given us that delightful feeling after we leave the theatre, with national pride flowing through us. It is how Shabaash Mithu will make you feel. With little to no traditional 'male hero' presence in Mithali Raj's biography, Taapsee Pannu carries the movie entirely by herself. She kills it, too! Shabaash Mithu, directed by Srijit Mukerji, combines all the traditional Flavors necessary to make a perfect biography. With a few exceptions, the movie is worth seeing in the light of Bollywood being criticized for its subject matter.

Indian cricketer Mithali Raj's life, is told in Shabaash Mithu, along with how she got into the sport. Young Mithali, a brilliant Bharatanatyam dancer in her class, held the bat with a friend and later became the Indian Women's Cricket Team's youngest captain. However, Mithali and her team had to cross boundaries in a nation where "Men in Blue" are admired to become "Women in Blue," which ultimately happened.

The lone "hero" in Shabaash Mithu is Taapsee Pannu. Even though the movie begins with her, watching her come to life on screen after about 30 minutes is enjoyable. It concentrates on her childhood more than is necessary, however. But since Vijay Raaz has the more substantial role and essentially controls the movie's settling-down sequence, we cannot complain. Mithali's friend Noorie is another crucial character in Shabaash Mithu, in addition to Taapsee. Despite having a minor role, Noorie stays in your heart for the movie's duration. She was the first to refer to Mithali as "Sachin Tendulkar" after her string of sixes.

For Mithali, life was never a challenge. Cricket was, but her parents have always been there for her. Shabaash Mithu did not make any pointless attempts to portray a life of hardship, only to stir up feelings. The disparity in hype between the men's and women's cricket teams is also repeatedly and accurately represented in the movie. For instance, the men's cricket team had armed security surrounding them and no queue. In contrast, the women's cricket team members were requested to leave the airport queue because of their large luggage?the lack of enough resources for women's fundamental needs served as another dose of reality. Women on the cricket team had to look for bushes to go to the toilet, whereas, for the guys, it was the other way around.

Box-Office Collection

The Shabaash Mithu movie, starring Taapsee Pannu and based on the life of former cricket legend Mithali Raj, had a disappointing second Friday at the box office. According to sources, the Raj biopic only brought in Rs 4,280 on Day 8 in India. Shabaash Mithu made 0.40 crores on its first day in domestic theatres, 0.55 crores the next day, and 0.70 crores the following day.

The movie made 2.52 crores (US$320,000) in India as of July 23, 2022, and 0.24 crores (US$30,000) abroad, for a total worldwide gross of 2.76 crores (US$350,000).

Hit or Flop

Conclusion

The movie "Shabaash Mithu" is a biopic of former women cricketer Mithali Raj showcasing how she turned into a cricketer from a Bharatnatyam dancer in childhood, becoming one of the youngest cricketers who represented India internationally. Regardless of showing the reality of women's cricket and trying to be an eye-opener for the world to honor "Women in Blue" as much as "Men in Blue," the movie did not go well at the box office and proved to be a disaster. As per the research, it only touched half of the budget during its collection.