Shabaash Mithu is an autobiography on the life of Mithali Raj, the Captain of the Indian women’s cricket team. In my opinion autobiography movies need to have a riveting story to justify their making especially so in cricket which is touted as the “Gentleman’s Game”.
The life of Mithali Raj seems to be relatively easy and sheltered where she received support from her parents and was even taught how to play the game by one of her closest childhood friend, Noorie. She became a technically sound player by having an exemplary coach like Vijay Raaz (Sampath Sir). Yes, she certainly faced challenges when she made it to the national team as she had jealous teammates who were upset that their former teammate had left the team but this is a change that needed to take place because India is a big country after all and being on the national team means that a player needs to have versatility. The effort put in by Taapsee Pannu after becoming the Captain is reflected in a rather subtle manner where she puts in effort to improve players welfare by appealing to the cricket board for CAI support so that funding increases by having a 2nd organization’s support. It looked like a “Cold War” between her and the cricket board until the board begins to take them seriously. The movie spends a good amount of time depicting comparisons between the female cricket teams in varied countries such as Australia and UK which to some extent added entertainment but at the same time seemed rather redundant because the audience is well aware of the fact that major priority is dedicated to men’s cricket not women’s.
Taapsee Pannu really seems to have very little to do considering the fiery women centric roles she has portrayed in the past. She is rather subtle in Shabaash Mithu but for an actress of her caliber, subtlety is not appreciated. Yes, this movie encouraged her to learn a new sport after having played hockey in movies like Manmarziyaan and Soorma but I am certain this role will not win her any National or Filmfare award.
The cricket scenes portrayed in matches played between different countries in the 2nd part of the movie are technically sound however the movie lacks emotion which is necessary in sports movies which lead to just a 5-day run in cinema houses. The players other than Mithali all seem resigned to their fate which is rather discouraging. The crux of this movie lies in the philosophy that women growing up in the 90’s are just supposed to be lady like, learn household duties and focus on being a good wife and daughter-in-law. Girls with dreams of playing sports and wanting to educate themselves further do not have much place in society. The girls who make it to the national team are all coming from such an oppressed backgrounds that they have no idea whether the match they are playing today, will be their last match ever.
There have been several sports movies released on female teams over the years, the biggest living e.g. being Chak De India. Audiences loved this movie because they could see themselves in the lives of the characters portrayed regardless of whether the player came from a big or small place. The binding factor in Chak De India was the amazing coach in the form of SRK (Kabir Khan) who channelized his player’s insecurities into positive energies on the field. The philosophy of life in this movie is also the same whereby most players had an oppressed childhood and were made to learn that their main role in life is that of a homemaker. However, these girls had the fighting spirit to oppose the people who got in their way. They had a wonderful coach who gave them a sense of purpose and made them believe in themselves.
Shabaash Mithu has an inspirational coach, but her role is miniscule. Furthermore, most players seem resigned to their miserable fate and when encouraged by Mithali to return and play in the World Cup, many look at it as their last chance to play cricket before they return to their banal existence. The entire movie is filled with such uninspired individuals with the movie beginning with a character like Noorie who plays a rebellious character and teaches Mithali how to play cricket. However, she caves into family pressure and gets married at the age of 15 leaving a farewell note for Mithali without having the gumption to bade farewell to her best friend in person. The low morale seems to have the same effect on Mithali who stops playing cricket for a few months when she finds that the CAI do not extend sufficient funding to the team. What this movie needed was far more than a “Cold War” especially when the community seems to have surrendered to their miserable fate. Losing the World Cup after getting to the finals is natural given the lackluster mindset lurking behind this movie.
Shabaash Mithu is a movie which lasted 5-days in movie halls and was then released on Netflix. Times, in India have changed since the era in which this poor soul grew up and I would not encourage young teenagers who have a bright future ahead to watch this uninspiring movie. It is obvious why this movie did not last even a week in movie halls. Given a better scripting approach this movie could have been salvaged but I am afraid that even that was not possible. I would say do not bother to waste your time even if you are spending an utterly boring weekend afternoon at home and have nothing better to do. Such a movie might end up ruining your weekend.
