Mili’s Deep Freeze Plight Will Melt Your Heart

Mili

Starring  Janhvi Kapoor, Manoj Pahwa, Sunny Singh

Directed by  Mathukutty Xavier

Rating: ****

There is  something  to be  said about the  serious flow of a  nurturing narrative in Mili that  places  it  heads  and shoulders  above the other releases this week. Merely by being a remake  of a well-received Malayalam  film , Mili doesn’t  become susceptible to charges  of  complacent copy-and-paste filmmaking.

Though the  basic plot-points  of  the two  films,  the father-daughter bonding and  the  survival  story when  the daughter is  accidently locked  into  freezer  in  a mall, are the same, the  treatment  is  original and refreshing.

The actors are beyond delightful.  Janhvi Kapoor and Manoj Pahwa  are so well cast  and look so comfortable with one  another that  I  would have probably mistaken them  to be  father-daughter in real life if I didn’t  know  any better.Sunil  Kathikeyan  mood-perfect  cinematography captures  the initial sunny  mood  vividly,  only to  switch  moods effortlessly from  yellow to silvery  white.

As  for  Janhvi, she  is  a revelation. Immersing herself deep into her character  she is  every  bit the Papa’s girl  who finds herself in an awful  situation.From the  perfect body language  to the struggle  with  the  English  language  to her horrific  predicament in a freeze frame she is  is fully committed to being  Mili.It is  like watching a very experienced  actress embedding her  skills   into the role  of a lifetime.

The supporting cast is  also  excellent .Director  Mathukutty Xavier shows  no signs  of revisitation fatigue  as  he  goes from the original to the remake. Having seen  the original., I didn’t for a second feel  I was watching a film I had already seen. The involvement  with the crisis  is  unconditional. You won’t  breathe  and  until Mili is home and safe.Set  aside all the garbage  released this week, Mili is your go-to film  this weekend. Don’t bother to buy  your  popcorn.  It will be  forgotten in your lap.