Mimi Movie Review. Kriti Sanon and Pankaj Tripathi film is an emotional rollercoaster

There's is no sure-shot formula for the success of a remake in Bollywood. We have terrific remakes of some average films, and then there have been some that couldn't match the brilliance of the original. To decide which category Laxman Utekar's Mimi belongs is a little tricky. And we have our reasons for that. Mimi is the remake of Samruddhi Porey's National Award-winning Marathi film Mala Aai Vhhaychy, which was released in 2011. A film based on surrogacy, Mimi is definitely a decade late to talk about the taboo topic in our society. But, better late than never. However, in order to make it appealing to the masses, the makers went overboard and Bollywoodised it to the extent that it became melodramatic beyond our appetite.

Mimi is the story of a young girl (Kriti Sanon) from the state of Rajasthan who wants to become an actress in Bollywood. Like any other small-town girl with big dreams, she also needs money to go to Mumbai and try her luck in the film industry. With the help of a driver, Bhanu Pratap Pandey (Pankaj Tripathi), she comes in contact with a foreign couple who wants her to be a surrogate mother for Rs 20 lakh. Mimi agrees for the sake of the money, but unexpected consequences follow. The story and plotline of Mimi are exactly like that of Mala Aai Vhhaychy, however many changes have been made in the lead character to make it more family-friendly. While in Mimi, the central character looks modern and confident, in the original, she is more regular and is shown fighting the society all alone.

In order to win the emotionally charged Indian audience, Laxman Utekar, who has also co-written the film, has not shied away from going overboard with emotions, so much so that at one point it gets a little irritating. However, we get our fair share of laughter in between, especially when Pankaj Tripathi gets to play his field. The screenplay also tests our patience by going good to bad and then to good again, every 10 minutes. As far as direction is concerned, Utekar has improved from his previous Hindi directorial venture, Luka Chuppi.

Kriti Sanon, in the role of Mimi, attempts to make her name in the new world of women-centric cinema, currently dominated by the likes of Taapsee Pannu and Alia Bhatt. To some extent, she succeeds in her attempt and gives a promising performance, her best yet. But is it enough? We see a huge scope of improvement as she doesn't realise when her acting turns into overacting. Pankaj Tripathi is phenomenal as Bhanu and it will not be an exaggeration if we say that he is the anchor in the film who doesn't let this ship sink. From funny to emotional, the actor excels in every scene with sheer finesse. Sai Tamhankar, who plays Mimi's best friend Shama, plays her part to the T. She is innocent, selfless and there for her friend no matter what. Manoj Pahwa and Supriya Pathak play Mimi's parents and give a satisfactory performance. Another actor who deserves a mention in this list is the child actor who plays Aatif, a student of Mimi's father. His comic timing is unmatched and it will not be a surprise if we see him in more films in the future.

The original songs and background score for Mimi are composed by AR Rahman. All lyrics are written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. While the songs complement the storyline and go with the plot, they fail to leave any long-lasting impact.

Mimi is a great attempt at bringing a social taboo like surrogacy to the centre stage. However, in trying to make it more entertaining and emotional, the makers lose a good opportunity. The film has some really funny scenes, and if melodrama is something you don't mind, you should definitely give Mimi one watch.

It is currently streaming on Netflix.