‘Mili’ Review: A Chilling Thriller Anchored By Impactful Performances But Janhvi Kapoor Is Reduced To A Damsel In Distress With Some Fight In Her
We all love a good nail-biting thriller but there’s nothing better than a survival thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat till the end of the film. And god knows how much Bollywood needs a good survival thriller but hey, we’ve got one coming right up. B-town is serving us a pipping hot survival thriller on a platter but will it survive or not is the real question. Produced by Boney Kapoor and directed by Mathukutty Xavier, Mili starring Janhvi Kapoor is all set to hit the theatres on November 4, 2022. The film is the official remake of the 2019 Malayalam film titled Helen which was based on true events. Helen was also directed by Mathukutty Xavier. Check out my review of this survival thriller.
The Story Of Mili
The original story of the Malayalam film Helen has been retained for Mili and no changes have been made as such. The story follows the life of a girl from Dehradun, Mili Naudiyal (played by Janhvi Kapoor). Mili is a happy-go-lucky, 24-year-old BSc Nursing graduate who aims to study in Canada and is preparing for the same while working at a restaurant in the mall. But all hell breaks loose when Mili gets stuck in the restaurant’s freezer while her father, Mr Naudiyal (played by Manoj Pahwa) and her boyfriend Sameer (played by Sunny Kaushal) race against time to find her as she fights to stay alive in the freezer while the temperature continues to drop. But will they be able to save her before it’s too late?
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Cast And Characters
Janhvi Kapoor as Mili Naudiyal: Janhvi Kapoor has completely and absolutely outdone herself in this film. As expected, she’s the star of the film and displays her phenomenal acting skills as Mili Naudiyal. The actress managed to breathe life into Mili with her outstanding performance. From being the perfect daughter to a career-oriented woman who won’t let love hold her back, Mili is all of us. Janhvi delivered a heart-touching performance and her efforts to portray Mili’s emotions, courage and fight were pretty evident. The actress has done justice to Mili.
Sunny Kaushal as Sameer: Sunny’s Sameer will steal your heart and make you want to cry. He’s the perfect thirst trap in the film but his acting skills were on display too. Sameer’s love, emotions and pain is heart-wrenching to watch paired with Sunny Kaushal’s skilful acting. The actor has proved his mettle in this film by delivering an impressive performance in a woman-centric film.
Manoj Pahwa as Mr Naudiyal: We’ve known Manoj Pahwa to be a skilful and natural actor and there’s no questioning that. His role as Mr Naudiyal is perfect as usual. The actor delivered an impactful performance in the role of Mili Naudiyal’s loving but well-meaning father.
Hasleen Kaur, Vikram Kochhar, Anurag Arora and Sanjay Suri gave the film much-needed support with the near-perfect portrayal of their characters.
Verdict: A Cold Survival
Janhvi Kapoor starrer Mili will give a much-needed thrilling end to your week. The fantastic performances by Janhvi Kapoor, Sunny Kaushal and Manoj Pahwa will send chills down your back. Janhvi is practically the heart and soul of the film as she anchors it. Mili bears witness to Janhvi’s evolving acting skills and there’s no questioning that. While I haven’t watched the original film, Helen, from what I’ve heard, Mathukutty has not only retained the essence of the film but also made a frame-by-frame remake of the movie with Janhvi, Sunny and Manoj leading it. While the first half is rather slow, it picks up pace in the second half but seems a little rushed. If I had to rate the film purely on the basis of cinematography, I’d give it a 5-star. This potent thriller has been shot beautifully making it seem like each frame was planned perfectly. TBH, the dialogues are kaafi cute, but nothing stays with you. There’s nothing noteworthy or memorable about the dialogues.
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When we think of survival thrillers, we expect some nail-biting moments and some chilling ones but sadly, Mili fails to impress in those terms. This genre is known to give us unforgettable moments that gnaw on our insides as we witness the most unspeakable, unbearably painful and unthinkable things that a human must do to survive. TBH, when I think survival thriller, I think 127 hours and the horrors of survival. While Janhvi Kapoor delivered an outstanding performance, the fact remains that she did not anything out of the ordinary to survive in the film. For a survival thriller, Mili is missing the raw emotions and chilling moments. In all honesty, Mili really does the bare minimum to survive, instead, it seems like she’s simply waiting for someone to come and rescue her. Her struggle is limited to waiting to be rescued. For a nursing student, you’d expect her to know more about the human body as opposed to a regular person and expect her to fight back but it seems like Mili just does the bare minimum. The background score is decent but the music is really just not worth talking about. Another thing that holds this film back is the fact that it’s a remake and most people already know how it ends which kind of kills the thrill.
Having said that, Mili is definitely a must-watch for those who haven’t watched Helen.
