Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Drama
Year: 2022
Running time: 2 hours 11 minutes
Director: Srijit Mukherji
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Vijay Raaz, Inayat Verma
Kid rating: G
There are actually very few films on females sportstars. There is Mary Kom but other than that I can’t recall another film focusing on a woman who wants to play a sport. Shabaash Mithu is great because it’s very down to earth, it’s very grassroots – there is no emotion that is not genuine.
The story is based on real-life Women’s Cricket Captain Mithali Durai Raj. She is from a Tamilian household where her parents are more focused on her brother’s cricketing career than her own. As a child, she just happens to get into cricket because of a friend, Noorie, who loves it. Noorie unfortunately is forced to give up cricket in favor of an early marriage. But Mithali now really loves cricket, has made it to a training camp and won’t give up although she is very disappointed by her friend’s exit.
When cricketing Coach Sampath (played by Vijay Raaz) actually comes home and tells her parents that she has real talent Mithali is sent over to his coaching academy. She then makes it to the training camp for the Indian team. Although she is met with hostility by the team members initially, she wins them over with grit and determination.
The film takes us through Mithali’s journey and its ups and downs. It was eye-opening to see the poor facilities given to female cricket players and the way their game is looked down upon by the cricketing boards. In one scene we actually see the female cricket players, and remember this is the Indian national team, use the fields as a restroom because there are no restrooms in the cricketing stadium for female players.
Each of the women in that team come from unremarkable backgrounds. Jhorna works at a tea-stall and makes four hour long train journeys every day to practice cricket. Neelu works in a tannery with her father and very graphically describes the skinning of cattle. Mithali comes from a relatively privileged background and gets a lot of flak initially from the girls for it.
It is also very interesting to see that the most resistance to her cricketing career comes not from her father but from her mother and grandmother. For women trying to get in into sports there are many hurdles. In one scene particularly we see Mithali meeting a prospective grooms family. It is assumed in the conversation that Mithali will simply give up her cricketing career and “settle down” after marriage.
Taapsee Pannu is a fine actress. It is a pleasure to see her playing Mitali Raj with such panache and passion. The lively child artiste Inayat Verma playing little Mithali lit up the screen with cuteness and verve.
Shabaash Mithu is compelling because the director keeps the story simple and the struggle real. The dramatics, while present, are not over the top so it is still believable. Do watch.
Kidwise: Clean
