20 Years ago, Abbas-Mustan’s CHORI CHORI CHUPKE CHUPKE [2001] introduced viewers to the concept of surrogacy and made it mainstream. Later, a couple of few films also touched on this concept but none of them were memorable. Now, Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films and Jio Studios have come up with yet another film on this topic. Titled MIMI, the film’s trailer looked promising and viewers were looking forward to seeing it on July 30, the day of its release. However, the film got leaked and the film was hence dropped online today itself. So does MIMI manage to entertain and touch the hearts of the viewers? Or does it fail to impress? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1247185" src="https://ift.tt/2USuURt" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> MIMI is the story of a girl who decides to become a surrogate mother. The year is 2013. Mimi Mansingh Rathore (Kriti Sanon) resides in a small town in Rajasthan. She dreams of becoming an actress and moving to Mumbai. She’s in touch with a man called Jolly (Nadeem Khan), who works in films. He asks her to move to Mumbai and pay him a few lakhs to get her portfolio done and even shoot a music video. Mimi isn’t that rich and hence, she’s trying to save. To earn, she does dance shows. At one such show, a foreigner couple Summer (Evelyn Edwards) and John (Aidan Whytock) happen to see her. They have been in India since a year to find a surrogate mother since Summer can’t conceive. They are searching for a fit and healthy girl and when they see Mimi, they realize that she’s apt to bear their child. They tell their driver, Bhanu Pratap (Pankaj Tripathi) to convince her. In return, they promise to pay him Rs. 5 lakhs to Bhanu. Bhanu readily agrees. He also manages to convince Mimi, especially when she’s told that she’d be paid Rs. 20 lakhs. Mimi agrees for surrogacy but realizes that she’ll have to hide her pregnancy from her parents, Mansingh Rathore (Manoj Pahwa) and Shobha (Supriya Pathak). So, she lies to them that she’s landed a role in a film for which she has to move to Mumbai immediately. She moves to the residence of her friend, Shama (Sai Tamhankar). Bhanu, too, moves in with her and pretends to be her husband. Mimi gets pregnant and all is going well. A few months later, Summer and John conduct tests which shows that the child in Mimi’s womb would be born with Down’s Syndrome. Summer and John are devastated with this development. They conclude that they didn’t sign up for this. They tell Bhanu to inform Mimi that she should abort the child. Without meeting her, they leave for their country, USA. Mimi is devastated upon hearing about their conduct. With no option, she returns to her home. Her parents are shocked obviously. Mimi lies that Bhanu is the father of the child. Mansingh and Shobha are obviously not happy with the development but they accept it. Finally, 9 months pass and Mimi delivers a boy. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Laxman Utekar and Roshan Shankar's story is inspired from a Marathi film MALA AAI VHHAYCHY [2011; written by Samruddhi Porey]. The plot is entertaining and touching and has all the ingredients of a family entertainer. Laxman Utekar and Roshan Shankar's screenplay is highly effective. The writers pepper the narrative with some very impressive sequences that keep the interest going. Also, for most parts of the film, there’s a lot of humour. Hence, it appeals to audiences of all kinds. Roshan Shankar's dialogues are one of the best things of the enterprise. The dialogues are funny and very well-worded and largely contribute to the film’s entertainment quotient. Laxman Utekar's direction is superb. In his last outing, LUKA CHUPPI [2019], the execution was a bit shaky. But here, he seems to be in firm control. The film revolves around motherhood and surrogacy which are serious topics. Yet, he manages to add humour very convincingly and he doesn’t make mockery about the sensitive issues that the film deals with. Also, how neatly he is able to change the tone of the film from funny to serious to again funny is praiseworthy. Mimi’s journey from an aspiring actress to a hand-on mother is shown appropriately. Laxman Utekar also deserves brownie points for treating the various dynamics and relationships shown in the film. In this regard, the character of Bhanu Pratap stands out. The way he stands rock solid with Bhanu, including his wife Rekha (Atmaja Pandey), is heartwarming. On the flipside, the film gets a bit lengthier towards the second half. Also, the ending is a bit too sudden and also predictable. MIMI begins on a great note which neatly explains the concept of surrogacy. Mimi’s entry is quick. How Mimi agrees to the surrogacy is great. The scene where Dr Asha Desai (Jaya Bhattacharya) announces that Mimi is pregnant is touching and this is where audiences realize that the film will score even emotionally. The track of Mimi and Bhanu pretending to be a Muslim couple will surely be loved. The shocker drops when Summer and John run away. But the makers don’t allow the film to get serious and soon, the track of Bhanu pretending to be the father of the child is infused and it adds to the fun. The scene where Rekha and Bhanu’s mother Kainkayi (Nutan Surya) create a scene when they assume that Bhanu married for the second time is sure to bring the house down. The last 30 minutes is quite serious and is sure to make viewers’ eyes moist. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Kriti Sanon: “Nupur didn’t like some guys I DATED in the past because she…”| Mimi</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/3rNtPXj" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Speaking of performances, Kriti Sanon delivers a very entertaining performance. She is the only lead in the film in a way and she shoulders the responsibility very well. This is surely her most accomplished performance and is sure to get appreciation from all quarters. Pankaj Tripathi is at his best. No other actor could have done this role so well. He has given several memorable performances but this is surely one of his best. Sai Tamhankar lends able support and leaves a huge mark as the supportive friend. Evelyn Edwards and Aidan Whytock are effective. Jacob Smith (Raj) is very cute and adds a lot to the film in the second half. Manoj Pahwa and Supriya Pathak are excellent as always. Atmaja Pandey and Nutan Surya are great in a small role. Jaya Bhattacharya is fair. Sheikh Ishaque Mohammad (Aatif) adds to the humour. Nadeem Khan is okay A R Rahman's music is average and could have been better. <em>'Param Sudnari'</em> works and is well choreographed. <em>'Aane Ko Hai Mehmaan', 'Fuljadi' </em>and <em>'Rihaayi De' </em>are okay while <em>'Choti Si Chiraiya' </em>is touching. A R Rahman's background score enhances the emotions depicted in the film. Akash Agarwal's cinematography is first-rate and the locales of Rajasthan are well captured. Sheetal Sharma's costumes are stylish yet earthy. Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray's production design are appealing but also seem real. Manish Pradhan's editing is fine. On the whole, MIMI is a heartwarming saga, aimed at families and it will keep the audience thoroughly entertained. Had it released in cinemas, it had a good chance of becoming a success. Strongly recommended.
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