Taapsee Pannu’s most awaited project ‘Shabaash Mithu’ finally hit the screen on Friday, 15 July. Produced under the banner of Viacom 18 and Colosceum Media, the film is directed by Srijit Mukherji
The film is based on the life of legendary cricketer Mithali Raj. ‘Shabaash Mithu’ follows the journey of an inspirational cricketer who brought Indian women’s cricket to the forefront, debuting at a young age of 16, going on to captain the team at the age of 22, and a record-breaking career spanning over 23 years.
Mithali Raj, who is known for her record-breaking 23-year-long career in international cricket, made over 10,000 runs in ODI. Directed by Srijit Mukherji, the film follows her journey of becoming a legendary cricketer and an inspiration to billions of girls and women across the world.
At every stage throughout its runtime, the movie proactively tries to highlight the underlying sentiment that the team must have felt – from being belittled to being denied equal opportunities, and the fight that Mithali put up for various such issues. The film gradually blends Mithali’s own journey in cricket with that of the women’s national team fighting for its spot under the sun. It’s an emotional underdog story, minus the jingoistic tropes and chest-thumping moments.
Taapsee Pannu makes a great effort to internalize Mithali Raj as a person. The highlight of her performance is that she doesn’t mimic the cricketer, but she sets her foot into her shoes and absorbs and displays the sentiments that Mithali has possibly felt at every juncture in her life. And she does that without the support of any hefty dialoguebaazi. She also seems at ease when she is on the field playing out the cricket portions.
The movie doesn’t amply showcase those edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting moments that would have unfolded in her life, especially during the 2017 world cup. Those keenly waiting to finally watch a movie revolving around Mithali, one of women’s cricket’s most iconic contemporary players, will certainly be left asking for more. Maybe a rerun of one of her milestone matches will help.