Written and directed by Mathukutty Xavier, the 2022 Bollywood film 'Mili' is a remake of his Malayalam film 'Helen', which is about a woman who gets trapped in a cold room and fights for her survival. While the original version starred Anna Ben, its Hindi version has Jahnvi Kapoor in the lead.
Mili is the story of survival. Mili Naudiyal (Janhvi Kapoor) resides in Dehradun with her father (Manoj Pahwa). She is a nurse and wants to fly to Canada for better job prospects and salary. She is taking IELTS classes and works at a fast food joint called Doon's Kitchen in a shopping mall. Mili is in a relationship with Sameer (Sunny Kaushal), a good-for-nothing guy who finds excuses not to take a job. She pushes him to apply and get a job. She decides to introduce Sameer to her father once he gets a job. One day, Sameer gets a job opportunity in Delhi.
Director: Mathukutty Xavier
Writer: Mathukutty Xavier
Stars: Janhvi Kapoor, Manoj Pahwa, Sunny Kaushal
He has to leave the next day. He calls Mili and gives her the good news. Mili is delighted and asks him to pick her up from her workplace. Sameer is drunk and yet he picks up Mili. On the way, he is caught by the police for drunk driving and they are both taken to the police station. Mili's father is summoned and humiliated by Inspector Satish Rawat (Anuraag Arora) for letting her daughter wander around with an irresponsible guy. Mili's father is upset with her behavior and stops talking to her. Meanwhile, Mili is upset with Sameer and refuses to take his calls. The next day, she goes to work but is worried about going home. She stays at Doon's Kitchen even after her business hours. She finally decides to leave around midnight. This is when her two colleagues ask her to put some food in the fridge. She agrees. While she is storing the food, her manager (Vikram Kochhar), who is unaware that she is in it, closes the freezer and leaves. A terrified Mili knocks on the door and screams for help, but she falls on deaf ears. Worst of all, she left her cell phone out of the freezer. Therefore, she has no way to call for help. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
For a film that leads viewers to believe it's a survival thriller, 'Mili' has a lengthy build-up that will make those hoping for the conflict to start sooner nervous. Jahnvi Kapoor as unconvincing as a middle-class girl learning English and working part-time in a food chain. She was pretty good in her last outing, 'Good Luck Jerry,' and she's not as bad as Mili Naudiyal, but her acting just fails to invoke any interest in her story. She's just missing, for lack of a better term, the 'x' factor. Manoj Pahwa is endearing as his father Niranjan, but hey, it doesn't matter how good the supporting cast is if the titular lead can't get his attention.
Many of the events and characters that come to screen before Mill's ordeal don't fit, especially an annoying boyfriend harassing his annoying girlfriend at work, instead of showing basic decency/respect for his work. . The second half is only slightly convincing, with Mili struggling to get out of the freezer, while her worried father desperately searches the city for her beloved daughter. A movie like this should have had a sharper running time, perhaps ninety minutes at best, instead of the nearly lifeless two-hour-long drama we're served up.
Comments
Post a Comment