The first biopic on the life of a Indian Woman cricketer, Shabaash Mithu is finally here with Taapsee Pannu portraying the iconic character. To begin with, I was hoping to see Anushka Sharma make an appearance as Jhulan, who the former is set to portray in Chakda Xpress. But that was wishful thinking.
Shabaash Mithu chronicles the events from the life of one of the greatest female cricketers ever. From her childhood, when her friend Noorie introduced her to cricket to the glorious run at the 2017 Cricket World Cup.
Shabaash Mithu is like those football video games wherein the creators did not have the lisence to use the names of the players. Except for Mithali Raj, all her teammates have had their names changed. Even BCCI is renamed. Women's cricket had to go through a lot to reach where it is now. The film focuses a lot on the struggle of the women's team and rightfully so!
Taapsee Pannu features in her third sports biopic (after Rashmi Rocket & Saand Ki Aankh) and she does justice to her role. Brijendra kala has got a permanent position with the Cricket Board. The rest of the cast doesn't have the intended impact. The only tournament that is recaptured is the 2017 WC. But the events don't tug at your heartstrings despite Kailash Kher's patriotic number.
Shabaash Mithu could have been much better if they skipped the songs for the sake of the plot and used real names/places. But nevertheless, it does bring to light the struggles of the women's cricket in India and how Mithali Raj became an icon not just in India but across the globe.
