Movie Review - Dhobi Ghat *Prateik Babbar, Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra, Aamir Khan

Without preaching too much about how Dhobi Ghat isn’t your regular popcorn cinema but rather arthouse/documentary/world cinema (papers/news/ have told and retold this line a gazillion times by now), let me just get straight to the point. 

Which is - Dhobi Ghat or ‘Mumbai Diaries’ (the English title) as I prefer to call it, is not an ode to the city but rather a compelling compilation of the lives of the city-dwellers while the city itself sits by the edge, encompassing all those who want to soak in its curses as well as blessings.

First, let’s run though a round of introductions, shall we?

*Meet Shai (Monica Dogra) – NRI banker, in Mumbai on a sabbatical. Amateur photographer, rich by inheritance, wanderer, independent, and continuously challenging the status quo

*Meet Munna urf Zoheb (Prateik Babbar) – Dhobi by the day, Rat-catcher at night. Aspires to be an actor. Shy, sensitive, living the life of the quintessential ‘small-towner wanting to make it big in maya-nagri’, smitten by Shai’s unexpected friendliness towards him

*Meet Arun (Aamir Khan) – Painter, Divorcee, recluse, Caffeine addict, chain-smoker, chances upon a stack of video tapes left behind by the previous tenant of the home he moves into. He ends up watching the videos and is enamored by the lady on-tape.

*Meet Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra) moved to Mumbai owing to marital setting. Housewife, elusive, tapes her surroundings in an effort to familiarize her family in her provincial village to the charms of the city

Warm up to them or not, each of the central characters has been intricately detailed with an independent platform of their own. Taking three fresh faces ends up being worth the risk, as each is admirably believable in their own way. Definitely the plus of the film, the casting is creditable, well almost. The only one who seems awkward and inapt is Aamir Khan. Undeniably one of Aamir’s restrained performances, he appears self-conscious and underplaying Arun, conversations especially with Shai sound hollow.

Monica Dogra whizzes through Shai with flair of an expert as if she were doing this for years. She is very promising, coupled with an arresting screen presence and an infectious smile.  Kriti Malhotra as Yasmin fills in her part sufficiently, captivating, speaks volumes through her eyes and is overwhelmingly real. 

It’s Prateik Babbar’s show all the way. As Munna, he shines. He is endearing with a gullibility that befits the character to the ‘T’. He has a distinctive quality that instantly connects with the viewer, *spoiler* e: g: when he blushes upon being referred to as handsome you can’t help but smile at his naivety.

If the chemistry between Shai - Arun was left severely untapped, the undercurrents in Shai-Munna’s relationship were a delight to watch. Though the tracks of the four protagonists intersect, they fail to connect which is a major loss as it’s the focal point of the movie.

Different? Yes! Satisfactory? No! Sorry to burst the bubble, Kiran Rao’s Dhobi Ghat has its strengths, but is marred with too many convenient short-cuts in the screenplay that is way too strong to be ignored. Like leftover beverage from the night before – not completely distasteful but the fizz is missing as when the can is just opened. Some of the scenes in the first hour are hasty and the four tracks don’t blend into each other as seamlessly as expected. There are times when the camera moves swiftly before the audience is able to grasp a particular sequence which is why the film becomes less engaging.

Secondly, this isn’t the kind of film that spoon feeds its audiences. There are silent moments, still camera angles, subtle hints thrown in at intervals, allowing the viewer to ponder over it and understand human behavior the way they wish to. Having said that, the film is imbued with great random scenes, which eventually end up being mere fillers but nothing more substantial. *spoiler* Yasmin videotaping her maid is one of the finest scenes.

I can’t put a finger on exactly why it fell short of being a wholesome experience. Probably it’s a case of a story which looked good on paper but didn’t turn on quite well on film or rather the length of 90 mins was short for what the filmmaker wanted to convey. Maybe a full length feature would have given ample space for characters to play on and have stronger moments which would linger on. In this case, there was something that was abrupt, incomplete, left high and dry just like that! Slow pace of narrative contradicting the trademark fast life of the city, dismissive; defeatist attitude negating the optimism that is synonymous with the name Mumbai, made the movie vaguely disturbing.

I was accompanied by my childhood friend Farzana who was down on vacation having settled abroad for work for 5+ years. She loved the movie. Slow, yes, but overall, she found it engaging. Me, on the other hand having spent the entire 27 years of my life in the city, (very grateful and wouldn’t want it any other way) didn’t feel moved or even connected to the movie. I have been to almost all the places captured in the film. Having built memories over time at the very same places, I was expecting intense nostalgia, but it didn’t tug my heart the way I was hoping it would.

As a reviewer, for me, Dhobi Ghat is one of those rare films where it’s difficult to reach a conclusion, just like the movie itself. It’s more of a ‘to each his own’ kind of thing where someone might like a snippet or two or another may take-away a moral depending on their own philosophy, outlook towards the characters, the city or life in general.

The movie is an exposé of life in Mumbai city, beset with longing, loneliness, abashed secrets, broken hopes, crushed spirits, unrequited love, unfound solitude but in the end it’s about leaving behind emotional baggage and moving on. And moving on I did. from Dhobi Ghat to the next Friday release……