Dhobi Ghat Movie Reviews

Irrespective of its genre, an Aamir Khan production is looked forward to with super-enthusiasm. Films like LAGAAN, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, JAANE TU YA JAANE NA and PEEPLI [LIVE] have redefined cinema and in their own small way prompted film-makers to think beyond the stereotype. That automatically raises the bar for AKP's new endeavor DHOBI GHAT. Mumbai - this vivacious, lively and spirited city has inspired many a film-maker, novelist, writer, playwright, poet

Dhobi Ghat, like all Aamir Khan films, comes with a certain amount of marketing baggage attached to it. This time, Khan wants us to believe the film isn’t for ‘everyone’, but for those who enjoy world cinema, or arthouse cinema. To an extent, Khan may have a point. Dhobi Ghat isn’t your typical Hindi film. But then, lately we have been watching supposedly ‘different’ films being churned out by our filmmakers, every now and then. Think LSD, or Udaan.

What's the one qualifying mark of a bustling metropolis, other than the sea of people and the surging crowds? It's the alienation index of the migrants who come from different places and different walks of life in search of lebensraum. Some come looking for livelihood, like Munna, the young dhobi who literally washes the dirty laundry of the sprawling neighbourhood. Some are on the prowl for connections, meanings, matters of the heart

In 'Dhobi Ghat', written and directed by Kiran Rao, Mumbai city is as much a character as the four protagonists whose lives intersect during the film’s 95 minute running time. Shai (played by Monica Dogra) is a wealthy NRI investment banker who is in town on a sabbatical from her job, to indulge her passion for photography. She spends the night with brooding artist Arun (played by Aamir Khan), who regrets the one-night stand. But Shai, although hurt

It's important for a first-time director to get things right. And mind you, debutante director Kiran Rao almost does. But just when she gets to the top of the hill, an avalanche strikes. Dhobi Ghat is an unusual 95-minute film without an interval, unlike regular Hindi films. You don't know what turn the story will take. Even the characters are unpredictable. And if you're expecting an Aamir Khan film, let me tell you, it's not. Dhobi Ghat is a film about four people

Dhobi Ghat is an acquired taste. Either the film will sink into your skin like a slow ache or it will be bewildering and downright boring. Kiran Rao’s first film is an atmospheric mood piece. There is no overt plot – four lives randomly connect in Mumbai. There are fleeting moments of happiness and pain and the eventual realisation that the journey never ends. The struggle to survive and to connect is eternal. The characters are Shai, played by Monica Dogra

The trailer of Aamir Khan Productions' DELHI BELLY which precedes DHOBI GHAT, has Amitabh Bachchan in his baritone speaking about how, right from LAGAAN, the production house has been coming up with different and meaningful cinema. There are no two ways about that. Be it LAGAAN, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, JAANE TU YA JAANE NA or PEEPLI LIVE, all were very different from each other, and were able to connect with the audience. The stint of making different films

Dhobi Ghat’ is a strangely uneven film. Its beginning feels amateurishly put together ; as it heads onwards, though, it finds an easy, flowing rhythm with just the occasional stutter. Its tagline is `Mumbai Diaries’, and debutant director Kiran Rao takes four wildly differing lives in a metro to share with us her beloved city, in all its varying moods. Mumbai, like all throbbing, constantly-on-the-move, major world cities, can madden and enchant at the same time

With Dhobi Ghat, Kiran Rao finally gives Mumbai a film that represents its true hues and tints. With its subtlety and style, one would be misled by the title to assume that the film is about the washer folk of Mumbai, but it’s not! The Dhobi - Munna (Babbar) is only a part of the huge canvas at writer and director Kiran Rao’s discretion. A dhobi by day and rat killer by night, wannabe actor Munna represents the proletariat lured by the glamour of the city

Despite the slick, haunting promos and coordinated media build up, Dhobi Ghat strictly remains an art house film with limited appeal, and its subtitle, Mumbai Diaries, captures the genre of the film correctly. Directed by debutante Kiran Rao, Dhobi Ghat is a deliberate, reflective film that tracks four slender stories, with Mumbai in the middle, interweaving them in a hip, personal Discovery channel kind of way. The tone of the film is all very sweet

What would you call a film whose central characters comprise of an aspiring actor, a photographer, a painter and a videographer? 'Art' cinema! Well jokes apart and with due respect to arthouse cinema, which can be an enriching and exquisite experience, Kiran Rao's directorial debut seems like a pretentious attempt to adapt to the prerequisites of the offbeat genre. Minimalism, as a tool, is effective when it adds merit to the medium

Dhobi Ghat: Masses may avoid; classes may go for a different experience.