Aamir Khan Productions.Since their first film Lagaan(2001),this production house has been associated with quality films which have been hugely successful at the box office.Even though none of the films(Taare Zameen Par,Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na,Peepli Live)boasted of a big star cast, it is on the basis of sheer brilliance of script,good direction and amazing performance by the lead actors that these films charmed the classes and masses alike.For the first time this production house along with UTV is backing a film which Aamir himself calls,"art film".
So,what is Dhobi Ghat about?For starters it is about the life of four people from different strata of society in the city of Mumbai and how they cross each other's paths.So we have Arun, a reclusive painter who has a one night stand with an NRI girl but shuns responsibility,Shai an investment banker from US who has come to India on a sabbatical,Munna a dhobi who doubles up as a rat killer in the night and Yasmeen, a small town girl married to a guy in Mumbai and keeps discovering the city through her newly acquired cam.
However,the most important character in the film is Mumbai,the city of dreams and aspirations for millions of people who come to the city everyday.Dhobi Ghat is essentially a mood film, the kind that is not made in Bollywood.The backdrop of rains in mumbai,cloudy skies,sea beaches,crowded streets of Mohammed Ali Road had been used brilliantly by Kiran Rao.The film unfolds like a book,takes its own time but by the time the film ends the viewer is completely immersed in the proceedings.
Kiran Rao is honest to the script and uses the real life locations effectively apart from extracting fine performances from the actors.Prateik is a revelation ..giving us a lot of memorable moments.He stikes the right notes as an actor and is surely a star in the making provided he chooses the right scripts.Monica is good as the NRI.Aamir appears a bit uncomfortable and the effort that he has put..unfortunately shows.The scene stealer is Kriti in the role of a newly married small town muslim girl discovering Mumbai through her newly acquired camera.Aamir deserves the highest praise for continuing to back such projects.
So,what is Dhobi Ghat about?For starters it is about the life of four people from different strata of society in the city of Mumbai and how they cross each other's paths.So we have Arun, a reclusive painter who has a one night stand with an NRI girl but shuns responsibility,Shai an investment banker from US who has come to India on a sabbatical,Munna a dhobi who doubles up as a rat killer in the night and Yasmeen, a small town girl married to a guy in Mumbai and keeps discovering the city through her newly acquired cam.
However,the most important character in the film is Mumbai,the city of dreams and aspirations for millions of people who come to the city everyday.Dhobi Ghat is essentially a mood film, the kind that is not made in Bollywood.The backdrop of rains in mumbai,cloudy skies,sea beaches,crowded streets of Mohammed Ali Road had been used brilliantly by Kiran Rao.The film unfolds like a book,takes its own time but by the time the film ends the viewer is completely immersed in the proceedings.
Kiran Rao is honest to the script and uses the real life locations effectively apart from extracting fine performances from the actors.Prateik is a revelation ..giving us a lot of memorable moments.He stikes the right notes as an actor and is surely a star in the making provided he chooses the right scripts.Monica is good as the NRI.Aamir appears a bit uncomfortable and the effort that he has put..unfortunately shows.The scene stealer is Kriti in the role of a newly married small town muslim girl discovering Mumbai through her newly acquired camera.Aamir deserves the highest praise for continuing to back such projects.
