Mr & Mrs Mahi REVIEW: Janhvi Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao hit the ball out of the stadium with finesse

Film:
Mr & Mrs Mahi

Director: Sharan Sharma

Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Janhvi Kapoor, Kumud Mishra, Zarina Wahab, Rajesh Sharma, Arjit Taneja

Runtime: 139 minutes (2 hours 19 minutes)

Platform: In theatres

Mr & Mrs Mahi Review

Directed by Sharan Sharma, Mr & Mrs Mahi is a sweet romantic film that has the right amount of family drama and sports. The Janhvi Kapoor-Rajkummar Rao starrer is the love story of Mahendra Aggarwal and Mahima Aggarwal (née Sharma) and their shared love for the sport of cricket. While Rajkummar’s Mahi always dreamt of being a cricketer but failed to impress selectors, Janhvi’s Mahi is an assisting doctor who loves the sport just as much as her new husband.

The film – with its dialogues, humour and songs, takes the audience on a journey of never giving up. It beautifully talks about how one should not give up on being happy and chasing their dreams even if the first innings of their life aren’t panning out how one expected. Life will have people who will sledge you, but it also gives you coaches who trust you and you need to trust to achieve your dreams. Read our detailed Mr & Mrs Mahi review below.

What Works

The things that work for the film are the dedicated performances by Janhvi Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao. While the lead actors have hit boundaries, the director, Sharan Sharma, has hit a six with his work behind the camera and by co-writing the script. The songs have undoubtedly put some extra runs on the board for the sport-based drama too.

What Doesn’t Work

While it’s refreshing to see Janhvi and Rajkummar romance each other and a husband support his wife and get her fame, the film still seems regressive at moments. Fathers forcing their kids to follow certain careers, a woman being blamed (to a certain extent) for the decisions of a man and the typical fight-and-makeup plots make up the narrative.

Technical Analysis

Directions

Sharan Sharma is back on the director’s chair and has delivered an impressive film. The filmmaker has ‘bent his back’ in making sure Mr & Mrs Mahi is entertaining while also true to the game. From making sure Janhvi looked authentic on camera when batting to capturing the raw emotions in the newlyweds’ eyes, Sharan deserves a Man of the Match trophy.

Story, Screenplay & Dialogues

Co-written by Nikhil Mehrotra and Sharan Sharma, Mr & Mrs Mahi is a sweet romance of a husband and wife joining forces to achieve their dreams while facing tough opposition from their respective families. The film – which has been in the making for nearly 4 years now (the duo began penning the script after the shooting of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl in 2020), beautifully talks about how trust in your coach (can be anyone – your parents, partner, friends or siblings) and hard work can overcome any obstacles and take you closer to your goals.

That being said, the screenplay is predictable at times. The narrative is something cinema lovers have been privy to for decades. At times, not only are the scenes predictable, but the dialogues as well (not exact, but on similar lines). Talking about dialogues, the writers have successfully incorporated some heavy lines that are sure to give viewers a reality check too.

Editing & Cinematography

Nitin Baid has done a good job at the editing table. He has managed to keep the film at a good length by making the audience feel they are missing something – except for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and that’s not his fault.

Cinematographer Anay Goswamy has proved he wasn’t the 12th man of the team as his work with the camera in getting the right angles and making the best use of the golden hours during different sequences is commendable. He may not be the opener of team Mr & Mrs Mahi (they are Janhvi and Raj), but he’s definitely somewhere in the middle order with his craft.

Costumes

Anaita Shroff Adajania and Varsha-Shilpa have provided the looks for the film. Given that the Mahis belong to a middle-class family, the costumes are on point. The cherry on the cake when comes to fashion in the film is Janhvi Kapoor’s wedding lehenga – and no third empire can say otherwise.

Music

Just like there are different formats in cricket to give fans variety on the field, Mr & Mrs Mahi’s music album has a song for every emotion. Composed by a variety of artists, including Aadesh Shrivastava, Tanishk Bagchi, Vishal Mishra, Jaani, Hunny-Bunny, Achint-Yuva and Dhruv Dhalla, the songs and their lyrics (written by Sameer Anjaan, Kausar Munir, Jaani, Vishal Mishra, Azeem Dayani, Sagar, Devendra Kafir, and Arushi Kaushal) capture the emotions of love, loneliness, heartbreak and triumph just like Mahendra Singh Dhoni does while wicket-keeping behind the stumps.

While Dekhha Tenu has created a rage ever since its release, the other songs help in the narrative but don’t have much retention. The free hit the makers scored a six on is by using the songs to timelapse events and not drag the film or increase its runtime. The score by John Stewart Eduri adds flavours and emotions to the entire narrative.

Mr & Mrs Mahi Star Performance

Janhvi Kapoor is improving her game with each film and this is clearly evident in her performance as Mahima in Mr & Mrs Mahi. While we all know of the tears, sweat and blood she spent learning how to hit boundaries like a pro, Kapoor’s expressions clearly hit the stumps. She brings out the vulnerability of her characters and even manages to have the spark of joy shine in her eyes during happy scenes.

Rajkummar Rao is a star and despite Janhvi Kapoor being in the spotlight here, he still shines. While Janhvi is undoubtedly the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the film, Rajkummar is that teammate who helps her achieve that goal. Rao has once more shown fans he is a force to be reckoned with by delivering two very versatile performances in the same month – Srikanth released earlier this month.

Kumud Mishra and Zarina Wahab play Rajkummar’s Mahendra Aggarwal’s parents Hardayal and Geeta Agarwal, respectively. Both actors leave an impression despite the latter having a minimal role. Their convincing acting helped add runs on the board in favour of Mr & Mrs Mahi. Rajesh Sharma as Coach Benny Dayal Shukla will give you mixed feelings. While at times you will want to thank him for extending support to the Mahis, other moments will have you cursing him out for giving Rao’s character a hard time. Arjit Taneja has more of an extended cameo and fails to leave an impact.

The extras seen on the field are all professional players. Their lack of experience acting is noticeable, however, it’s believable. Don’t miss the sledging – it’s a highlight. PS: We wish ‘Mahi’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni made a cameo in it.

Conclusion

Janhvi Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao starrer Mr & Mrs Mahi is a feel good love story that’s filled with a strong passion for cricket and a good amount of family drama. Janhvi and Rajkummar’s chemistry as newlyweds and their trust and support for each other give the sport drams a freshness we haven’t seen on the big screen for a long time. Do watch it in theatres for an impressive experience. We hope our Mr & Mrs Mahi review helps you in deciding what to watch this weekend.

Watch the trailer of Mr & Mrs Mahi here:

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