What if a woman marries into a family who encourages her dream? Out of this thought was born Mr & Mrs Mahi, the Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor-starrer that opened to audiences yesterday. Director Sharan Sharma says, “Usually, films focus on the achiever’s glory, but we wanted to navigate the journey of the support system around him/her. I found the idea of love [blossoming] in an arranged marriage endearing. These two have nothing in common and find their connection in cricket.”

The director and his writing partner Nikhil Mehrotra built the two Mahis—Mahima, a doctor whose talent for cricket is spotted by her failed cricketer-husband Mahendra. The story was anchored by two of Sharma’s favourite actors. “Raj can be called a gift to cinema, given his promise towards his craft. When we started writing, we didn’t have names in mind. But Raj was a natural choice by the time we finished writing it. He is an evolved actor; he knows how to [explore] the psyche of a man who is weighed down by the insecurities of the world, and goes above and beyond to support his wife.”