If you ever wanted to add a romantic sports drama to your watchlist, then ‘Mr. and Mrs. Mahi’ starring Rajkumar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor might interest you. Based on a heartwarming tale of two lovers, ‘Mr. and Mrs. Mahi’ portrays two passionate cricketers looking to fulfill their dreams amidst other challenges.
Directed by Sharan Sharma, I felt the performances were too good to save an average storyline. The film excellently approaches topics like career sacrifices, marital bonds, and mutual support against societal pressure to name a few. However, it lacks the punch and becomes predictable after a point.
The film starts with Mahendra(played by Rajkumar Rao) struggling to finish games for his team. He is forced to get married by his parents, where he later discovers the bride Mahima(played by Janhavi Kapoor) is equally passionate about the game, and is a better player than him.
Despite being a qualified doctor, Mahima agrees to partner with Mahendra, without knowing him much as she loves his honesty. I felt this was very outdated and would not resonate with the modern audience. Mahendra is later shown to become jealous of Mahima and her fame.
Mahendra pivots to coaching and focuses on Mahima and her career, while at the same time portraying an emotionally immature character, both as a cricketer and a husband. Janhavi Kapoor handles the cricketing scenes beautifully and looks natural, however, struggles in emotional scenes.
The supporting characters play their part well with Zarina Wahib(Mahendra’s mom) and Rajesh Sharma(as coach Benny Shukla) giving stand-out performances.
The underlying message of the movie is worth appreciating, but the narrative has clear flaws. I felt the storyline could have been better. The director could have also explored the parent-child relationship and given more depth to the story.
Apart from the storyline, the cricketing scenes lacked any excitement and did not do justice to the efforts of the two actors. While I loved the soundtrack and songs in the movie, they did not feel related to the plot.
The film does a great job of portraying the importance of childhood dreams in our lives. As a hardcore cricket fan, it might evoke some emotions in the minds of the audience. It is a great one-time watch and a good family drama to enjoy at the theatres.