Although Mimi has a great concept; surrogacy, that is all it has to be proud of. Of course, there’s great acting, but that’s just it. There isn’t really any plot that propagates this beautiful concept. The movie overlooks various factors including social, religious, and economic issues, and does not address any of these instead masks it with the typical Bollywood comedy.
It has strong acting by Pankaj Tripathi and Kriti Sanon but the script is so loose and has no depth. It couldn’t even understand the message behind the film itself. Was it surrogacy gone wrong or adoption as a last resort? It couldn’t even handle one of those things properly as it was covered with tonal issues. The movie’s message was completely undermined because of that single abortion conversation. As if abortion isn’t seen as bad enough that they had to demonize abortion more. Women deserve to have a choice. End of story!
In an interview, Ms. Sanon stated the use of comedy was to not make this film feel like a documentary. That’s the worst possible excuse you can give. Using comic relief and overreliance on over-the-top comedy are two different things. There are so many good examples of serious-tone movies done right with organic comic relief. That’s the problem with Bollywood films; nothing feels organic. It always feels forced. Bollywood is known as the worst film industry on the planet in terms of quality but that’s because no one is bold enough to try something different in the right manner. They have the talents and ideas, they just don’t know how to execute them.
This film does have a balanced mixture of humor, confusion, sadness, and happiness. As stated, it also has many loopholes in the plot but the actors have carried out the performances well. Pankaj Tripathi is the star of the show. You can’t critic him. Kriti’s best performance before this was Bareilly Ki Barfi where she was outstanding. In this too, she carries out the main protagonist’s role with finesse and style. If only the script was as good as Bareilly Ki Barfi, this could’ve been memorable but I don’t think it will be. It might be in India because the critics there have the same dumb minds as the filmmakers.
Overall, the movie’s stand on Abortion and Down Syndrome are worrisome since it glorifies motherhood and sacrifices. That’s okay but choosing motherhood does not mean that a woman has to sacrifice her dreams. Women are about more than just a womb and babysitters. They can play multiple roles and may have to make tough choices along the way. Sadly, this film’s writing did not capture that. Bollywood’s problem with abortions is again showcased in this film and framing women’s rights as sin is their only take on a situation like this. The cast did a great job, especially the flawless Pankaj Tripathi but Bollywood needs to grow up and stop promoting such a flawed mindset.
K- Score: 43%
STW: 7/30, D: 7/25, C: 5/8, E: 3/5, PVD: 7/12, A: 7/10, S: 7/10
