There is no denying the fact that whenever we watch a film knowing nothing about it and expecting the least, then even an average project manages to entertain giving you a fairly good time. The fact perfectly fits on the experience of watching MITRON this week, which surprisingly turns out to be a pleasant romantic comedy with an appreciable first half focusing on the family drama and the issues faced by an unemployed educated boy and an ambitious educated girl willing to prove herself.
It begins with a light hearted likable sequence of a boy’s family coming to see the girl and they both accidentally getting locked in a room along with a 9-10 years old kid. The casual introductions turn personal as they reveal their individual pasts in flashbacks and the unpredictable, interesting interactions keep you pretty engaged along with the realistic regional settings. So till here MITRON remains an unexpectedly entertaining film with a stunning female lead keeping you glued to the screen.
However as usual the problems begin post intermission, when the plot suddenly steps on to an all familiar path and everything becomes routine and predictable resulting in a clichéd climax. Still the beautiful leading lady and the occasional humour somehow manage to keep it going, reminding you of similar plots in films like Saif Ali Khan’s CHEF (2017) and the earlier BAND BAAJA BAARAAT (2010).
A remake of National Award winning Telugu film PELLU CHOOPULU (2016), a tricky downer of MITRON is its overuse of Gujarati dialogues without any English or Hindi subtitles displayed on the screen. Now, no doubt that would look more authentic as well as enjoyable for everyone related to Gujarat and the language feeling an instant connect. But for others, the makers should have added the subtitles, duly remembering the fact that it’s actually a Hindi film. Following the trend, the average songs are not able to add anything significant to its overall impact and there was certainly no need of remaking the cult ‘Chalte Chalte’ just for the sake of it, unnecessary inviting negativity.
Putting it differently, director Nitin Kakkar’s MITRON honestly scores due to its feel-good, relatable environment of the first half, the magnetic presence of its female protagonist and issues of generation gap, start-ups, You-Tube earnings, girl-child and arranged marriage brought forward in a light, pleasing entertaining manner. At times the witty and clever dialogues also make an impression penned by Sharib Hashmi, but the film’s biggest merit remains the casting of Kritika Kamra as Avni who simply steals the show becoming the life-line of the film.
Kamra is the second girl post Yami Gautam (in the recent times) who gets the lead role in a Hindi film post doing TV serials and looks even more beautiful and appealing on the big screen. The girl makes the best possible use of the opportunity given with an amazing confidence and never allows you to take your eyes off her in all the major sequences. Here the cinematography, background score and costumes also deserve a special mention along with the production design of the film creating an authentic ambience.
Apart from Kritika, the other actors who make a more than decent impact are Pratik Gandhi (as the funny friend), Neeraj Sood and Sunieel Sinha (as the two fathers) and Prateik Babbar (as the betraying lover-boy). On the other hand, Jacky Bhagnani is just okay underplaying his character in a one-dimensional mode without any variations.
Overall, MITRON is a neat, family entertainer having a strong-engaging first half and the presence of Kritika Kamra remaining its key attraction. Having said that, I still feel it will find more appreciation on the online movie portals instead of the costly multiplexes. Really wish the film had a different title and some kind of novelty in its concluding hour.
Rating : 2.5 + 0.5 / 5 (with the additional 0.5 for the confident debut of Kritika Kamra)
