Mumbai Diaries (2010)
"Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries)" (original title)

The lives of four people intersect in Mumbai: a washer-man who wants to become an actor, a banker-turned-photographer, a painter looking for inspiration, and a newly-married immigrant who journals her experiences on home video.

Director:

Kiran Rao

Writer:

Kiran Rao

Stars:

Prateik, Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Prateik	...	Munna
Monica Dogra	...	Shai
Kriti Malhotra	...	Yasmin
Aamir Khan	...	Arun
Danish Hussain	...	Salim
Kitu Gidwani	...	Vatsala
Jehan Manekshaw	...	Pesi
Ashok Varma	...	Yasmin's Husband
Sanjivani Oagle	...	Silent Neighbour
Aasha Pawar	...	Lata bai
Jyoti Pawar	...	Vanitha
Babita Sehgal	...	Munna's Client
Jitendra Shinde	...	Karim (as Jitendra Narari Shinde)
Nafisa Amin Khan	...	Amma
Rohit Tiwari	...	Rakesh

Storyline

The lives of 4 different people in the city of Mumbai get entwined by fate and luck; Shai - an investment banker with a penchant for photography, Arun - a lonely painter, Munna - the "dhobi" who aspires to become an actor and Yasmin - making a video in her camcorder for her brother, who hasn't been to Mumbai before. The film follows how their lives are changed by the presence of one another. Will it be for better or for worse?

---

Plot Keywords:

home video | animal killing | flashback | car | night duty | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi English

Release Date:

21 January 2011 (India)

Also Known As:

Mumbai Diaries

Filming Locations:

Film City, Goregaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Box Office

Budget:

INR 102,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$365,297 (USA) (21 January 2011)

Gross:

$576,639 (USA) (11 February 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aamir Khan Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Aamir Khan is such a big name in India that he could not go in and out of the house that the shoot was taking place in without arousing huge public interest. So he and his wife Kiran Rao, who is also the director, actually stayed in the same house for the entire duration of the shoot.

---

Connections

Featured in The Hour: Episode #7.86 (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"At The Ghat"
Composed by Gustavo Santaolalla
Courtesy of Super Cassettes Industries Limited (T-Series)

User Reviews

Fresh, calm. A nice try overall

It's not perfect, but it's definitely worth viewing. One does not find such attempts in Bollywood very often. All the characters are fantastic, and so is Mumbai. :)

The plot could have been more tightly strung up, but what the heck.. for a debutant, it's amazing. It comes to it's best when no dialogues are being delivered, just the rolling camera. The movie has no 'message', no climax, it just flows with lives of the characters. Moral of the story : Life comes in full circles, like clothes at a dhobi ghat. The background score is quite experimental as well.

Do not go expecting the usual Bollywood routine. If that what you want, I'm sure there are plenty of options around.