Movie: Mimi
Mimi Cast: Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Supriya Pathak
Mimi Director: Laxman Utekar
Mimi Rating: 3.5/5
They say ‘it takes a village to raise a child, and, sometimes, it takes a village to have a child’. Mimi is a fluid and moving reminder of why motherhood is not just about conceiving but far beyond it. Mimi is the story of an aspiring dancer Mimi (Kriti Sanon) who wants to make it big in Bollywood someday. It’s then that a private tourist cab driver Bhanu (Pankaj Tripathi) introduces her to an American couple traveling in Jaipur in search of a healthy surrogate mother. In anticipation of the monetary benefits, Mimi agrees to be the surrogate and take it as a project to fulfill her dreams. However, when the couple changes their mind owing to a false-positive test of their unborn child, Mimi decides not to abort the baby and instead lies to her parents that Bhanu is the father of the child.
An adaptation of the Marathi classic, cinematographer turned director, Laxman Utekar, walks a tightrope to make it a contemporary script yet one which is not just a tear-jerker. It takes almost 20-25 minutes to build the film but once the film picks up there is no looking back. The trio of Samruoddhi Porey (who worked on the adaptation), Rohan Shankar (dialogue), and Laxman Utekar (who also contributed with the screenplay) is the critical reason why the film remains relatable to this era.
They induce entertaining moments while taking you through an emotional journey. In fact, in the first half, the makers create a mirage by weaving in emotional scenes with sporadic lighter moments; leading one to misjudge that this must be the treatment throughout the script’s flow. However, in the second half, the director uses a slight of hand and catches the audience off-guard with tighter control on the flow without being overdramatic.
Packed with a strong cast, including Pankaj Tripathi, Sai Tamhankar, Supriya Pathak, and Manoj Pahwa, one would not easily question what they can together deliver. But Kriti Sanon gives one of her finest performances to date. Once you watch this film, Kriti’s portrayal of Bitti Mishra (Bareilly Ki Barfi) doffs a hat and honorably moves to the shadows of Mimi. Sai lives up to her caliber and expectation. In fact, there are moments in the first half where you wonder will she outshine the protagonist. Pankaj Tripathi comes with his signature ‘one part goofy, two parts spectacular’ performance. Manoj Pahwa and Supriya Pathak stick to being awesome and effortless. The cast conspires to elevate each other’s performance, and the audience will be glad to be a witness of this act. Evelyn Edwards and Aidan Whytock as the American couple play their parts. There are times you empathize with them and times when you loath them.
The script and dialogue are rooted in the values of Indian culture. There are moments in the film where Laxman has preferred the supporting cast to change the gravity of the scene. For instance, when Supriya Pathak questions her daughter that you are both Yashodha and Devaki of this child, then how can the American be the mother? It depicts the root of the dilemma.
Overall, Mimi is one of those mid-budget films that rides high on content and performance to build relationships with the audience.
SOURCE: PINKVILLA
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