'Mr & Mrs Mahi' review: Cricket couple romance could have been special

THE flood of Bollywood sports movies continued with this romantic cricket drama. Failed cricketer Mahendra (Rajkummar Rao) starts working in a sports shop and has an arranged marriage with Dr Mahima (Janhvi Kapoor). 

 Their love for cricket ensures the couple falls deeply in love. She encourages her husband to pursue his cricketing dream again, but he remains unsuccessful. When it turns out that Mahima herself is naturally gifted at the sport, Mahendra decides to coach her to glory, and it isn’t long before complications ensue. 

 This latest sports movie from Hindi cinema combines romance with cricket in an engaging way. After a relatively strong start, Mr & Mrs Mahi quickly slips into a predictable comfort zone.  

There are elements of classic romantic musical Abhimaan, which revolved around an established music star being outshone by his wife. That worked because the husband was successful, whereas with this movie he has already failed multiple times to realise his dream. 

 Although this is ultimately supposed to be a gender equality story, it has questionable messaging including the wife only being complete and successful thanks to her husband. 

 Solid performances and great chemistry between the lead stars keep you engaged. Rajkummar Rao shows off good screen presence and Janhvi Kapoor continues to improve with each film. 

 There should have been more of the accomplished supporting cast, playing compelling characters. Zarina Wahab is surprisingly good, but there isn’t enough of her in the movie. 

 The music could also have been stronger and there was scope to put some more unexpected elements in there, including titling it Mrs & Mr Mahi. Ultimately, like most cricket movies in recent years this will most appeal to die-hard fans of the sport, but others will see this as a missed opportunity to deliver something special.