Dhobi Ghat is a treat for the senses. Its been a long time since I saw such a visually pleasing film in a theater. The last one must have been Life in a Metro. Damn, this city does get around, eh?
The story is nothing great, admittedly. Aamir Khan is the shy and reticent painter Anil, who has a one night stand with NRI i-banker Shai (Monica Dogra), which ends on a bad note. They remain connected through Munna (played brilliantly by Prateik), who is their common dhobi. With this initial setup, the story meanders through the streets of Bombay (or Mumbai, if you prefer it so) with the love triangle of Anil- Shai- Munna waxing and waning.
In the meantime, Anil moves house and discovers a tin containing a few photographs, a ring, and three tapes marked “Chitthi”. The content of the tapes is a video letter from a newly married girl called Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra) to her younger brother back in the hinterlands of Uttar Pradesh. It is her outsider’s perspective to Bombay which seems the most interesting, and ultimately her character stays closest to the heart even after the lights come on.
Aamir Khan is surprisingly flat as the English-speaking cosmopolitan Anil. Monica Dogra is convincing as the NRI, but the show stealers remain Kriti Malhotra and Prateik. The character of Munna is well-fleshed out, and gives him enough scope for his acting. Maybe its in the genes? He does happen to have Smita Patil and Raj Babbar for his parents.
The video letter from Yasmin to her brother is suitably rendered in low quality handycam, which gives it a proper home movie feeling. What I don’t get is the shaky camera movements throughout the film. Also, since the letter from Yasmin and the love triangle proceed simultaneously, the whole thing could have been tied up better. As it stands, its a little like an abstract painting. It is beautiful, but you can’t really say what is so beautiful about it.
What’s saddening about the whole thing is that its going to be seen as a “Aamir Khan production, with his wife directing”. However, she does pull off a good job. The film has a nice flow to it, and the absence of the interval allows you to enjoy it uninterrupted (albeit with a full bladder towards the end of it).
All things considered, worth a watch.
Visually appealing is what I had been mind too. The Dhobi Ghat, Amir Khan painting – not just the creation, but the process of creating, Shai’s photographs, the market scenes and just the streets of Bombay. Loved the movie.