The premise of this movie seems to be more of a documentary on the city of Mumbai which is essayed by the lives of 4 seemingly unconnected strangers who find themselves in a complicated interplay. The painter Arun finds inspiration in an oddly absent yet pervasive character of Yasmin who tells her story through a bunch of video tapes found by him in his rented apartment. This aspect of the movie was the only part that actually made some sense. The rest about Arun's brief yet intimate encounter with a young upper class girl Shai along with other things like Shai's attempts to win Arun's affections or what not and also her liaisons with the local Dhobi Zohaib are a complicated and incomplete concept in the plot. Even the sub-plot about Zohaib's feelings towards Shai appears incomplete.
The strongest point about dhobi ghat is its presentation and flow unlike any other in Indian cinema or bollywood for that matter. The screenplay moves on brilliantly capturing the most momentous sights and sounds in Mumbai. From the crowded and often bustling streets filmed both during day and night to the calm and soothing or at times hauntingly dark corners, from the artistic Ajanta and Ellora caves to the busy dhobi ghat and the different seasons and festivals all are filmed so well that they make the city come alive like a protagonist by itself expressing its different emotions.
The acting is very natural and realistic. Aamir who plays Arun the painter, Prateik who plays Zohaib the Dhobi, Monica the upper class girl and Krishti in the role of Yasmin have done a great job to make their characters look believable. It's been especially a difficult path for Aamir to come down from the larger than life and dominating image in mainstream cinema and he has'nt given any chance to complaint about that. Prateik Babbar has done a great job in his first major movie and would likely receive deserved praise for it as well. He has certainly made a bold decision to make an appearance as a common man so missing in Bollywood these days.
Kiran Rao has made this movie so brilliantly its hard to believe that it's her very first one. It would be a tough benchmark to beat for any new filmmaker. She should probably be coaching some of the more popular "seasoned" filmmakers like Farah Khan and Sajid Khan.
To put it in summary Dhobi Ghat is cinema that gives its viewers a lot to chew on but leaves a lastingly good taste.
The strongest point about dhobi ghat is its presentation and flow unlike any other in Indian cinema or bollywood for that matter. The screenplay moves on brilliantly capturing the most momentous sights and sounds in Mumbai. From the crowded and often bustling streets filmed both during day and night to the calm and soothing or at times hauntingly dark corners, from the artistic Ajanta and Ellora caves to the busy dhobi ghat and the different seasons and festivals all are filmed so well that they make the city come alive like a protagonist by itself expressing its different emotions.
The acting is very natural and realistic. Aamir who plays Arun the painter, Prateik who plays Zohaib the Dhobi, Monica the upper class girl and Krishti in the role of Yasmin have done a great job to make their characters look believable. It's been especially a difficult path for Aamir to come down from the larger than life and dominating image in mainstream cinema and he has'nt given any chance to complaint about that. Prateik Babbar has done a great job in his first major movie and would likely receive deserved praise for it as well. He has certainly made a bold decision to make an appearance as a common man so missing in Bollywood these days.
Kiran Rao has made this movie so brilliantly its hard to believe that it's her very first one. It would be a tough benchmark to beat for any new filmmaker. She should probably be coaching some of the more popular "seasoned" filmmakers like Farah Khan and Sajid Khan.
To put it in summary Dhobi Ghat is cinema that gives its viewers a lot to chew on but leaves a lastingly good taste.