Shabaash Mithu documents the inspirational tale of former Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj as she overcomes obstacles and prejudices to emerge as one of the foremost female cricketers in history.
Captioned “The Unheard Story of the Women in Blue”, Shabaash Mithu is the 2022 biographical sports drama honoring Mithali Raj’s journey towards earning success and recognition for the Indian Women’s National Cricket Team. Starring Tapsee Pannu in the lead role, the Srijit Mukherjee directorial inspires with its stereotype-smashing tale of determination, encouragement, and national pride.
Shabaash Mithu Story and Summary
A young Mithali Raj (Inayat Verma) is introduced to the world of cricket when the scruffy and snarky Noorie (Anushree Kushwaha) becomes her friend after being forcefully enrolled in Bharatanatyam lessons. As their unlikely friendship evolves, an altercation with Mithali’s elder brother Mithun on the cricket ground prompts the two girls to start playing cricket.
Using the washing paddle as the cricket bat and stones christened after the girls in their dance class as fielders and boundaries, Mithali and Noorie expand their two-person game soon to include more girls from their Bharatanatyam classes and neighborhood.
Mithali transposes her Bharatnatyam teacher’s lessons to apply them to cricket as they become her mantra, sharpening her focus and concentration.
When a group of boys forces them to leave the ground, Noorie and Mithali agree to leave provided the boys defeat Mithali.
As the boys smugly agree to their terms, Mithali stuns the flippant boys with one stellar shot after another as the befuddled boys grudgingly acknowledge her skill.
When Coach Sampath (Vijay Raaz) notices Mithali’s skill and dedication, he decides to take the two girls under his wing as he officially indoctrinates Mithali and Noorie into professional cricket.
Thriving under Coach Sampath’s mentoring, Mithali gets selected for National Camp. However, Noorie loses her chance at tryouts as she is married off at the tender age of 15.
Mithali receives a rather cold reception from her teammates when she joins the Women’s Cricket Board (WCB). Facing resentment and hazing from the elder members, she soon earns everyone’s respect and admiration with her resilience and stellar exhibition of batting skills.
The team’s travel to the UK takes a sour turn when the girls’ team is harangued for exceeding regulation baggage weight while the men’s team is escorted by officials and greeted with raucous chants of support from the public.
The news of Coach Sampath’s accident reaches Mithali on the day of the pivotal Ireland selection game when a resentful Sukumari (Shilpi Marwaha) divulges the news against WCB Chief Shanta’s (Geeta Agarwal) advice. Visibly distraught, memories of childhood course through Mithali’s head as she delivers a smashing performance and marks her debut with a century, becoming the youngest player to represent India.
Mithali soon becomes the youngest captain of the cricket team (replacing an incensed Sukumari) as she campaigns for a merger between WCB and CAI for better funding, resources, and opportunities. However, the women’s team continues to remain cloaked in obscurity even after the merger when the girls receive discarded hand-me-downs from the men’s national team.
The CAI rudely squashes their hope with a humiliating assessment of the obscurity of the women’s team, refusing to spend funds on what they believe is a lost cause.
Mithali and her team present a united front, revealing new sponsored jerseys with proper naming and numbering. Despite all her efforts, a dejected Mithali faces failure in her mission towards recognition as she shortly quits the team.
After she returns home demoralized, she drowns her sorrows in the mundane domesticity of everyday life and the cricket team begins to fall apart. Sukumari, now coaching the team, is admonished by a vexed Shanta as she realizes her mistake in letting her strongest asset leave.
Noorie’s visit becomes a turning point in Mithali’s life as she reminds her of the significance of cricket in her life. Prompted to rejoin the team, the girls hoard an exasperated Nilu on her wedding day to rejoin the team for the World Cup, receiving support from her fiancé Chandan.
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Shabaash Mithu Ending Explained
The 2017 Women’s World Cup campaign gets underway as the girls prepare with nervousness and trepidation. With a rousing speech, Captain Mithali motivates the girls to deliver a memorable performance so that nobody forgets their identity again.
Reminding everyone of the hurdles and difficulties they overcame to reach this juncture, she injects her teammates with renewed vigor and determination.
Thus begins India’s journey in the 2017 Women’s World Cup, winning their first match against England by 35 runs. Their campaign gains pace as they deliver win after win, with successive victories over West Indies, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, instilling confidence and refuting naysayers.
As the team loses against Australia, their match against New Zealand becomes a decisive game in determining which team will lead their country into the finals. The Indian team does not disappoint as wickets drop inching India closer to the cup, the final wicket ushering them to the World Cup finals.
Does the women’s cricket team win the world cup?
In a nail-biting final to the 2017 Women’s World Cup, India faces two-time champions England at Lords. Batting first, England manages to score 228/7, leaving a target of 229 in 50 overs for the Indian team. Following an early wicket, Mithali steps in to take charge but is bowled out only after scoring 17 runs.
Following the early disappointment, matters worsen for the Indian team as one batsman after the other succumbs to England’s ferocious bowlers. In a disappointing turn of events, India ultimately ends their promising campaign as England wins the cup.
Despite their disappointing defeat in the finals, the girls return to a surprisingly cheery welcome in India with fans hoarding the airport with frenzies chants of “women in blue”. Spirits raised in this unexpected outcome, the women’s team finally earns the support and recognition they yearned for.
A heart-warming message from the PM’s office assures an apologetic Mithali that the women’s cricket team won the nation’s heart irrespective of the final result, finally fulfilling Mithali’s dream of etching women’s cricket into the soul of the country.
Shabaash Mithu is now streaming on Netflix and Voot.
Watch the trailer of Shabaash Mithu here:
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