Mimi is a story based in Rajasthan, where Bhanu Pratap (played by Pankaj Tripathi), a driver, introduces an aspiring Bollywood actress, Mimi (played by Kriti Sanon) to an American couple who are looking for a young and fit surrogate who can give birth to their child. The couple decides to pay Mimi Rs. 20 lakh for lending her ‘farm’ for their ‘seed’. The deal is struck and Mimi gets pregnant after the first embryo transfer. Along with her friend Shama (played by Sai Tamhankar), Mimi knits a story to her parents (played by Manoj Pahwa and Supriya Pathak) about heading for an outdoor movie shoot for nine months so she can give birth to the baby secretively. Quite expectedly, the American couple decides to back out and the events that unfold tell the rest of the story.
Bollywood’s romance with surrogacy is not new. From movies like Filhaal and Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, we sure have come a long way with Mimi. However, Mimi’s storyline was hardly innovative. Despite, boasting a strong cast and being touted as Laxman Utekar’s second innings in direction, Mimi fails to impress the audience on various levels. With a predictable storyline, the interspersed comedy by Pankaj Tripathi, Manoj Pahwa, and Supriya Pathak quite literally save the day. Though Mimi is based on a taboo topic in India and sheds some light on foreign couples looking for Indian surrogates because they are way more affordable, the makers went slightly overboard with Bollywoodising it, making it a tad bit melodramatic during the second half.
Kriti Sanon has given her career-best performance so far in the movie and other established actors hold the audiences’ interest through the not-so-exciting storyline. The songs and background score are original and composed by music maestro A R Rahman with the lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. While the music and songs are in sync with the movie’s storyline, apart from the item number in the first half of the movie, they fail to leave a lasting impact.
As a healthcare professional, what might strike you about the movie is the lack of proper research on surrogacy. According to the Surrogacy Regulation Bill in India, foreigners are no longer allowed to choose an Indian surrogate to give birth to their child. Also, a nulliparous woman cannot be legally chosen to be a surrogate mother in India as per the latest rules. With basic facts like these wrong, the movie fails to effectively spread awareness about the taboo subject of surrogacy.
Mimi is a good one time watch but requires one to just absorb what is shown in the story instead of using too much logic or knowledge. It was a breath of fresh air after a year-long drought of Bollywood movies due to the ongoing pandemic.
Unwind with Mimi on Netflix!
