Mr & Mrs Mahi review: Rajkummar Rao, Janhvi Kapoor's marriage story fueled by cricket

At the onset, Sharan Sharma's new romantic sports drama Mr & Mrs Mahi holds a lot of potential. The film talks of modern romances and marriage with cricket as its backdrop. It has all the elements of a blockbuster. Credible actors like Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor, great support cast comprising actors like Kumud Mishra and Zarina Wahab, a story that ticks the two major draws in India and romance and a unique story. Yet Mr & Mrs Mahi never truly leaves an impact. 

The plot of Mr & Mrs Mahi

Written by Sharma and Nikhil Mehrotra, the story is a fresh but relatable take on modern marriages and the complexities that come along the way. In an Abhimaan-eseque style plot, Mahendra and Mahima, who share a common nickname - Mahi-  marry each other in a match arranged by their parents. On the first night, they realise they deeply love cricket. Frustrated at never being able to make it to the Indian team, despite playing at state level, Mahendra now helps his father run the family sports goods shop. His father and he share a strained relationship where Mahendra has been constantly subjected to ridicule. When he discovers that his wife is a gifted batswoman, he realises coaching her for the Indian Team would get him fame, recognition and validation that he has desired all his life. 

Mahima, meanwhile, is a doctor who doesn't like her job. She is initially reluctant of her husband's grand plan but eventually realises that cricket is her true calling and is more than willing to be a part of Mahendra's plan. 

As Mahima gains success on the field, her marriage to Mahendra starts taking a toll as ego clashes take precedence and Mahendra's need for validation constantly puts unnecessary weight on their relationship. 

Modern relationships and marriages have often been depicted on screen before. To its credit, Mr & Mrs Mahi takes a fresh look at some known complex problems. Ego clashes between partners, ambition and dreams shattering marital bliss, finding happiness within first, the need for validation from partner- all these issues are well tackled. It takes cricket as a backdrop and a catalyst in Mahendra and Mahima's relationship. The sport brings the two together and it's the same sport that tears their relationship apart. Despite a credible story, the film doesn't leave a defining impact. 

Rajkummar Rao's performance

Rao and Kapoor are great in their respective roles. Rajkummar Rao plays a complex man, who has self-doubt, is depressed, and constantly seeks validation. His happiness is his wife yet he craves for more. A poignant moment in the film has him talking to his mother (Wahab) who very casually says that needs are limitless but what matters is happiness from within. The scene is beautifully written and executed and stays with you.

Rao's scenes with Mishra, who plays his toxic father, too are stunning. 

Janhvi Kapoor complements Rajkummar Rao in every scene well. 

While I am slightly tired of Kapoor's wide-eyed vulnerable act in every film, her role demands a certain amount of innocence which Kapoor ably brings out. It isn't easy to hold your own in a film which has actors like Kumud Mishra and Rajkummar Rao, yet Kapoor manages to do it.

The predictability, however, hampers the narrative to a great extent. You know how the story will pan out almost from the beginning. The loopholes in the characterisations are obvious and evident. 

Films based on cricket with an underdog winning at the climatic end are not new. We have also seen enough films where women have played the lead in sports-centric biopics. Which is why so many moments of Mr & Mrs Mahi- especially when Mahendra trains Mahima-  seem familiar. 

The songs by multiple composers are passable. There is not a single song that stays with you for long. 

In the end, Mr & Mrs Mahi is an average fair. It is not a bad film but it doesn't ever leave you overwhelmed with emotions which sports dramas typically do. Neither can it be placed as an iconic love story. It does have great performers and some beautiful scenes of Rao with his on-screen parents and wife talking of inner happiness and peace, but the overall screenplay isn't able to tap into the plot's true potential leaving a very mild impact on the viewers.