Meerabai Not Out: Movie Review
Meerabai is certainly not out but remains non-striker for a major part of the play. This one isn't bad but doesn't bowl you over either.
By Gaurav Malani, INDIATIMES MOVIES |
Director: Chandrakant Kulkarni
Cast: Mandira Bedi, Eijaz Khan, Anupam Kher, Mahesh Manjrekar
Rating: **
As a kid, I was an ardent fan of Filmfare Awards function and every year looked forward for its live telecast without fail. The one year I wasn't allowed to watch it due to following exams, I was heartbroken and couldn't prepare for the tests either. My passion was much above my priority of things in life. So I could identify with the corresponding Meerabai mania in this film towards the countrywide sport, though the film did pretty less to make you connect with her cricket concerns.
Meera Achrekar (Mandira Bedi) is a die-hard Anil Kumble fan and teaches mathematics to school students through cricket calculations. This resident of a Shivaji Park chawl is single but mingles only with society boys for gully cricket. Both mother (Vandana Gupte) and brother (Mahesh Manjrekar) are searching for a prospective groom for Meera until she literally stumbles upon her perfect 'match' - outside the field.
Dr Arjun Awasthi (Eijaz Khan) not only treats Meera's injured boy-team for free but also takes the captain on coffee dates and before you realize, they are in love. Anupam Kher repeats the regular widowed father act from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge to Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein and persuades his son to get married. Despite initial hesitation he accepts Meera as his son's bridal choice.
ADVERTISEMENT
But Meera seems to have seen Bend it Like Beckhem which inspires her to turn towards the stadium ironically on her 'match-making' day. Father figure calls off the engagement and the two teams have to work towards the reconciliation now. Meerabai Not Out isn't essentially a sports film but is more about one's obsession towards any particular element in life and in this case it's cricket. Unfortunately Meera's passion for cricket doesn't quite come across in the film. Her craze towards cricket isn't convincingly established and is simply restricted to a few jargons about the game in her dialogues. Even the romance track isn't compelling enough and hurried, though the screenplay is stretched otherwise.
A background voiceover initiates the film and takes too long to come to the point. The narrative relies on this intermittent narration through the film, which speaks of the weak storytelling. A PT teacher's unspoken infatuation towards Meera doesn't quite deliver and Meera's boy team is relegated to some kacha limbu junior artists. Mandira doesn't really look like a tomboy if that was the intention and, as per Bollywood clich��s, the bespectacled girl opts for lenses on falling in love. Not much of an eye-opener!!!
The film is loosely edited and even the camerawork appears jaded. The humour isn't slapstick but at most instances lacks punches and falls flat. However director Chandrakant Kulkarni gets the middle-class ambience correct, to an extent and thankfully doesn't make Anil Kumble act beyond permissible limits.
ADVERTISEMENT
Anupam Kher comes up with a composed act. Mandira Bedi seems comfortable around the cricket arena and doesn't disappoint. Eijaz Khan is easy on eyes. Mahesh Manjrekar gets his one-over of glory in the latter half. Vandana Gupte is a pleasant and plausible change from regular Bollywood mothers. Meerabai is certainly not out but remains non-striker for a major part of the play. This one isn't bad but doesn't bowl you over either.
Start a SIP with as low as ₹500 with ET Money App!
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
