dhobi ghat (mumbai diaries) - Review

dhobi ghat (mumbai diaries) - four people living in a big city, different perspectives, their lives intertwined by strange coincidences.


dhobi ghat is a movie that signifies the new types of movies that have become the staple of aamir khan's production house. You can always go for one of his movies confident that you will not leave bored or frustrated.

With this movie though, I had my doubts, it was his wife's production, they billed the movie as, "not for everyone". But I felt the movie was really worth a watch, if for nothing else but the sheer honest acting by all 4 main characters.

The four characters in the story are so completely different, that they bring completely different perspectives to the story.

Prateik Babbar, plays Munna a dhobi and rat killer in Mumbai's slums. A boy who came to Mumbai from Bihar because he was starving. His introduction begins with him telling his brother that, even though being a rat killer is disgusting, it's at least an honest days work. But he has dreams as well, he wants to be an actor he wants a better life.

Monica Dogra plays Shai, an investment banker in the US who goes to India on a sabbatical looking for inspiration and a change of scene. She brings into the story a kind of naivety that she has developed with her many years outside of the country.

But the best performance in the story is from Kriti Malhotra who plays Yasmin, a young bride who has come to the city immediately after he marriage. She has a video camera with which she is writing a video letter for her younger brother back in the village and her entire story is told from behind the lens.

And then there is Arun (played by Aamir Khan), the artist who looks all around Mumbai for his inspiration. He calls the city his muse, his whore and his love. His character serves as the bridge between the other three as the story is told.

The movie starts off slow and never really gets much faster, but then it's just the story of 4 people, I guess it's not meant to be fast. You see how different each of their lives is, while despite a number of people around them how lonely they actually are.

I would say the movie by itself is a work of art and not for everyone. I liked the movie. Go ahead and try it for yourself. I would rate the movie a 3.25 on 5. But I wont be surprised if you either love or hate it. 


Rahul.