Jahnavi Kapoor shines in MILI |
It is always challenging to remake a Malayalam film into a mainstream Bollywood film due to the difference in topography and expectations of the audience. After having replicated the original `Helen` in yet another South Indian language, one would have expected Mathukutty Xavier to come up with a crisp product in the Hindi language remake, titled `Mili.` The first section of Janhvi Kapoor-starrer `Mili` establishes the lead character who is almost too easy to root for. Mili Naudiyal, a nursing graduate, lives with her father after her mother`s untimely demise. She dreams of getting a job in Canada to secure her and her father`s future. Mili is always helpful and has a `smile that lights up the room`. `Mili,` directed by Mathukutty Xavier, who also directed the powerful original, is a survival thriller about a woman stuck in a freezer in an empty mall after-hours.It is a story of tenacity and perseverance, and the makers` ability to keep the audience hooked is worth appreciating. A powerful story needed a meticulous performance delivered by Janhvi Kapoor, making this one of the most effective roles of her career. She is also supported by an extremely cohesive and able cast. Manoj Pahwa as Mili`s father plays his role with conviction. Pahwa and Jahnvi`s performances together manage to form a very strong emotional base for the film. A strong point of the film is its music and sound design. The music is credited to AR Rahman with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. Overall, the film has a strong script and nail-biting moments but the metaphors and emotional stakes are too heavily dramatized, owing perhaps to the medium, but these are flaws that can be ignored for the sake of the bigger picture.
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