Dhobi Ghat
Director : Kiran Rao
'Dhobi Ghat' is, no doubt, a rare film. From the very beginning, it never misleads you and wears its 'art-house documentary-ish' tag proudly. It knows its audience and delivers perfectly what it promises. There are no item songs, no songs at all in fact, no crude or contrived humor and no heavy philosophy dialogues. In fact, the best lines in the film are the ones that go unsaid, and all this is what makes 'Dhobi Ghat' a gem of New-age Indian Cinema.
Set in the city of Mumbai, the story of 'Dhobi Ghat' revolves around the lives of four normal people, who belong to different sections of society and yet are never once stereotyped, which sets a fresh tone from the start. Arun(Aamir Khan), a painter meets Shai(Monica Dogra ) at his art exhibition and alcohol and sex follow. While Shai is smitten by Arun, the latter is not for commitment and he brushes her off after the one-night stand. While cleaning the house he just shifted into, Arun finds some old tapes in which Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra ) chronicles her own life and experiences in Mumbai. The tapes catch his fascination and he uses them as an inspiration for his paintings. Munna(Prateik) is a wannabe actor who doubles up as a dhobi in daytime and a rat killer by night. The story revolves around how the lives of these characters get entwined and how each one of them seek out their paths and move on.
Unlike other Mumbai-centric films, 'Dhobi Ghat' never once passes any judgement on the city. It never brands the city as good or bad, but just shows it as it is. Mumbai is captured in a number of gloriously beautiful shots and it explores the city like none other. Whether its the rain, the beach, the streets or just the plain old dhobi ghat, Mumbai's never looked more beautiful. Its more than a city, its a character in the film. And just as with the other characters, Mumbai gets its equal share of time. The film does lag at times and comes very close to being self-indulgent. But its poetic over-hues manage to keep the film afloat till some event occurs. The soothing background score also adds onto the whole experience that 'Dhobi Ghat' offers.
But the very elemental reason for this experience is the cast. Aamir Khan as Arun carries a pensive look throughout the film, which we learn later is due to his past. He doesn't have much room to maneuver, but he does well nonetheless. The ladies in the film are a surprise find. It may take time to get used to Monica, but with a little more fine-tuning, she'll do just fine. Though she never actually appears in the film, Kriti Malhotra leaves a strong impression as Yasmin through the video tapes in Arun's house. She may have the least screen time among the 4 main characters, but she owns every moment that she's on screen. However, the real star of the cast is Prateik, who very subtly manages to give a powerhouse performance and easily manages to become the best achievement of the film. It may just be his second film, but he's here to stay.
Lastly, the film belongs to Kiran Rao. She brings out the beauty of Mumbai just as she does out of each of her characters and manages to make a film that is not only fresh, but daring. Yes, it requires daring to make a simple movie such as 'Dhobi Ghat'. The film finely walks on a tight rope, and it may have needed only one goof-up to turn into a disaster. The film required tremendous confidence in her own ability and by skillfully handling it, Kiran Rao may just have paved the way for a new era of Indian Cinema, where the lines between commercial and art-house cinema have truly started to vanish.
I'd give it a 3.5/5. Its simplicity is its beauty. Watch it.
'Dhobi Ghat' is, no doubt, a rare film. From the very beginning, it never misleads you and wears its 'art-house documentary-ish' tag proudly. It knows its audience and delivers perfectly what it promises. There are no item songs, no songs at all in fact, no crude or contrived humor and no heavy philosophy dialogues. In fact, the best lines in the film are the ones that go unsaid, and all this is what makes 'Dhobi Ghat' a gem of New-age Indian Cinema.
Set in the city of Mumbai, the story of 'Dhobi Ghat' revolves around the lives of four normal people, who belong to different sections of society and yet are never once stereotyped, which sets a fresh tone from the start. Arun(Aamir Khan), a painter meets Shai(Monica Dogra ) at his art exhibition and alcohol and sex follow. While Shai is smitten by Arun, the latter is not for commitment and he brushes her off after the one-night stand. While cleaning the house he just shifted into, Arun finds some old tapes in which Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra ) chronicles her own life and experiences in Mumbai. The tapes catch his fascination and he uses them as an inspiration for his paintings. Munna(Prateik) is a wannabe actor who doubles up as a dhobi in daytime and a rat killer by night. The story revolves around how the lives of these characters get entwined and how each one of them seek out their paths and move on.
Unlike other Mumbai-centric films, 'Dhobi Ghat' never once passes any judgement on the city. It never brands the city as good or bad, but just shows it as it is. Mumbai is captured in a number of gloriously beautiful shots and it explores the city like none other. Whether its the rain, the beach, the streets or just the plain old dhobi ghat, Mumbai's never looked more beautiful. Its more than a city, its a character in the film. And just as with the other characters, Mumbai gets its equal share of time. The film does lag at times and comes very close to being self-indulgent. But its poetic over-hues manage to keep the film afloat till some event occurs. The soothing background score also adds onto the whole experience that 'Dhobi Ghat' offers.
But the very elemental reason for this experience is the cast. Aamir Khan as Arun carries a pensive look throughout the film, which we learn later is due to his past. He doesn't have much room to maneuver, but he does well nonetheless. The ladies in the film are a surprise find. It may take time to get used to Monica, but with a little more fine-tuning, she'll do just fine. Though she never actually appears in the film, Kriti Malhotra leaves a strong impression as Yasmin through the video tapes in Arun's house. She may have the least screen time among the 4 main characters, but she owns every moment that she's on screen. However, the real star of the cast is Prateik, who very subtly manages to give a powerhouse performance and easily manages to become the best achievement of the film. It may just be his second film, but he's here to stay.
Lastly, the film belongs to Kiran Rao. She brings out the beauty of Mumbai just as she does out of each of her characters and manages to make a film that is not only fresh, but daring. Yes, it requires daring to make a simple movie such as 'Dhobi Ghat'. The film finely walks on a tight rope, and it may have needed only one goof-up to turn into a disaster. The film required tremendous confidence in her own ability and by skillfully handling it, Kiran Rao may just have paved the way for a new era of Indian Cinema, where the lines between commercial and art-house cinema have truly started to vanish.
I'd give it a 3.5/5. Its simplicity is its beauty. Watch it.
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