Shabaash Mithu Review : Taapsee Pannu's Sports Biographical Drama Plays On Backfoot

Taapsee Pannu is known for her female-centric films, and the latest addition to the list is Mithali Raj's biopic, Shabaash Mithu. Cricket may be a religion in India, but mind you, we don't have any blockbuster films made on cricket in Bollywood. Even the last big films like Jersey and 83 didn't do well at the box office. Srijit Mukherji's sports biographical is a little different and surely an important film for the encouragement of women in sports in our country, but the cinematic value is below par. The film struggles to play on the front foot and makes the game damn boring.The film follows the life of Mithali Raj (Taapsee Pannu), the Captain of the Indian Women's Cricket Team, from childhood to the World Cup Final. Shabaash Mithu takes off in 1990, when little bindass girl Noorie meets little dance lover Mithali, and they form a bond of close friendship. Noorie begins playing gully cricket with Mithali for fun, but a cricket coach, Bhatia (Vijay Raaz), notices talent in the small Mithu. There begins the journey of Mithu's illustrious cricket career and the struggle to bring equality to Indian women's cricket.Like Mithali's dreams, the script of Shabaash Mithu also struggles, but unlike Mithali's dreams, it fails to find success. Priya Aven's writing looks incomplete and immature on many occasions, especially in the screenplay. There are many scenes where you notice blunders, and it hurts more when you realise that you are watching a film based on true events. Cinematic liberty is not an issue here, but the way it has been used is definitely one of the biggest faults.Taapsee Pannu doesn't look like Mithali Raj except for the blue jersey scenes from the matches. Taapsee looks like Taapsee, and while she does a good job as Taapsee, that's not what we asked for, is it? Nothing matches Mithali's delivery, accent, or expressions. At least that's how it looks most of the time, but the people who have seen a lot of Mithali Raj on TV, be it interviews, matches, or any commercial appearance, will be able to judge better. Ostensibly, Taapsee's portrayal of Mithu just doesn't look congenial. Vijay Raaz as coach may sound unrealistic in a few scenes, but the rest of the time, he picks the right words. There is a big cast of players, and all have done pretty okay jobs.In terms of technical aspects, Shabaash Mithu is a poorly executed sports drama. The cricket scenes are either shot destitutely or have been merged into each other after seeing spiteful footage. You don't see a single cricket shot that looks complete. I mean, even that live cricket match coverage is much better than this edited and rehearsed action. The final 20 minutes of World Cup matches provide good visuals, though.The music is also disappointing as far as the audio is concerned. However, the situational values are kept intact. Sirsha Ray's camera work captures a couple of beautiful frames, but otherwise it's a strictly average show. Speaking of editing, Shabaash Mithu has got as long of a runtime as a T20 match. I hope you'll be able to sit in the stands until this long match is over.Srijit Mukherji is still looking for that break in the Hindi film industry. He made a below-average film like Begum Jaan, and his most recent social hunt, Sherdil, wasn't any good either. Now he adds another underwhelming film to his Hindi filmography with Shabaash Mithu. The major issue with the film is its direction. Mithali's story just doesn't get the kind of vision it deserves. The daily soap patterns are visible on screen and you feel like going home and catching the Anupama instead.Why this small screen vision for a theatrical release? Is OTT responsible for this? Filmmakers aren't just thinking big; maybe the small screens of mobile phones and OTT subscriptions have forced them. Shabaash Mithu would have looked better on the small screen because it would have hidden many nuances there. On the big screen, the fumbles are visible, like crystal clear. As a whole, Shabaash Mithu delivers a defensive film from the backfoot that would have been better suited in the pavilion than out on the field.