Skip to main content

Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries)

By
Director           Kiran Rao
Cast                 Aamir Khan, Pratiek Babbar, Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra, Danish Hussain, Jehan Manekshaw, Kitu Gidwani, Ashok Varma, Sanjivani Oagle, Babita Sehgal
Year                2011
Genre              Drama

Dhobi Ghat was by far the most awaited movie in this month. And it everything that people expected it to be from the trailers.  If one was disappointed with the end result then I guess we were giving too much credit to the audience.  In a very “Crash meets Bollywood” style of movie making, Kiran Rao gives us the story of 4 people in the city that doesn’t sleep, whose lives are intertwined thanks to various twists of fate if one may call it that.  And she doesn’t do a bad job at all.

Arun (Aamir Khan) is an eccentric painter (that’s redundant right – aren’t all painters eccentric – no offence meant to the painter community).  He shies away from public appearances and doesn’t make an appearance at any of his exhibitions.  Any of them until now.  He lands up at his latest exhibition which is based on Mumbai – his muse, his whore, his beloved – as he proclaims proudly.  As he is getting away from the socializing, he bumps into Shai (Monica Dogra) who is an investment banker from New York on a sabbatical to Mumbai.  Her passion is photography and she wants to use the time in Mumbai getting a look into the lives of the marginalized people including the exotic varieties such as the “Night Rat Killers” (didn’t know something like that existed out here – so much for being a Mumbaikar). 

Needless to say, Arun and Shai hit it off and land up in bed that very night.  Arun, however, is not really interested in anything long term.  Especially coz he is divorced around 2 years back and completely unprepared to get into another relationship.  Quite a bad morning after for sure.

When Arun moves to a new place, he finds 3 video cassettes left there by the previous tenant, Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra).  He tries to return them but is unable to find out any details.  Intrigued, he decides to watch the tapes to find out whats in them.  They turn out to be video letters that Yasmin planned to send to her brother about her stay in Mumbai.

Arun’s Dhobi, Munna aka Zoheb (Pratiek Babbar) is the common link between Arun and Shai. He wants to be an actor.  Shai is quite taken in by Munna in a manner of speaking and decides to take his help on her project.  Munna also, coincidentally helps her get to Arun’s new place.  The friendship between the two develops quite quickly and as time goes by, Munna develops feelings for Shai which are obviously one sided.

Dhobi Ghat tries to get to the fore the complexities of relationships that develop in this city between different kinds of people.  The hope that is existant in most people about the next day being better than the previous one.  The casting is quite good with Pratiek Babbar probably being the weakest of the lead 4.  But he does come across as extremely sincere and puts in a genuine effort. Aamir Khan being Aamir Khan is quite effortless in his portrayal of the eccentric Arun.  I suspect, it didn’t take quite an effort cause he was probably being himself.  The pleasant surprises were definitely Monica Dogra and Kriti Malhotra both of whom, I thought, were quite superb.  Both first time actors in main stream cinema.  Both essay their respective roles with high levels of confidence, unperturbed by the fact that there are other well known names.  Acting performances are what keeps Dhobi Ghat alive despite its slow pace.  The music by Gustavo Santaolalla & Anibel Kerpel is again well placed with good use of Indian Classical for effect.  However, the lead track had striking similarity to that of Krrish of all the movies (maybe a figment of my imagination or just the same raga). If you like the arty kind movies where the story is strong but the pace is really slow and it includes still shots which seem to last forever for no apparent reason, then Dhobi Ghat is just the way you would like to spend your evening.  The ridiculous “95 minute without interval” gimmick kept aside, it gives Kiran Rao a very strong start.  I liked it.  7 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1451268889/
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Helping an Employee Who’s Struggling with Postpartum Depression

By
Going back to work is tough for any new parent, but the transition is especially difficult for those suffering from postpartum depression. (Remember, postpartum depression affects both women and men.) If you manage someone who has recently had a baby, pay close attention to how they’re doing — a parent’s struggle doesn’t always show on the outside. Some people may overcompensate by working too hard, while others may show a loss of enthusiasm. Familiarize yourself with the services your firm offers — which may include groups for working parents, health care coverage for counseling, or post-natal yoga or meditation classes — so that you can help your employee access support. Offer options such as flex time, telecommuting, gradual return, or peer mentoring. In fact, it’s a good idea to offer these things to all team members so that the new parent doesn’t feel singled out. Find ways to make supporting employees and their mental health part of your culture. Adapted from " What Managers...
2 comments
Read more

Stamp your documents with QR Code (Free)

By
The power of a digital document - on paper. Stamp your documents with a QRdoc code and unlock the power of digital features like getting the latest version of the document.  This is a free service offered by QRDoc.io  https://qrdoc.io/ 
Post a Comment
Read more

If Your Team Is Overwhelmed, What Can They Stop Doing?

By
Project overload is real. But as a leader, it can be hard to tell whether your team needs more resources or just could be working more efficiently. Start by asking people to identify their key activities and how much time they spend on them in a typical week. Use that data to assess workloads and priorities. Consider which tasks the team could stop doing and which might benefit from having their process rethought. Pay special attention to low-value projects that have to get done but that take up an inordinate amount of time. Are there ways to simplify the workflows to reduce the amount of time your team spends in these areas? And last but not least, look for tasks that simply can be done more quickly. If your team is still struggling after these steps, it might be time to hire more people. Adapted from “What to Do If Your Team Is Too Busy to Take On New Work,” by Dutta Satadip
13 comments
Read more