Dhobi Ghaat- A Heartfelt Tribute to Mumbai
5th February, 2011
2:00 a.m.
Finally managed to watch dhobi ghaat. Good in most parts, except the abrupt ending. Loved the way Mumbai has been brought about in the film. We have seen Mumbai being depicted in various Hindi films. But the freshness and reality kiran rao brings to the city in her movie is commendable. The Mumbai rains, the Ganesh chaturthi celebrations, even the slums. Just one word ‘wow’. It would not be wrong to say Mumbai is the 5th character in the movie. And what a character! Throughout the movie one feels as if the city is a silent spectator. In fact, the city speaks volumes through its silences.
Monica dogra is lovely. As shai, she is the soul of the film. The exhilarating glow on her face is out-of-this world. Absolutely Loved her. The major reason why one should watch the movie. The find of 2011, according to me. Prateik babbar is very good. Great acting. The interactions between Monica and prateik constitute the best scenes of the film. Amir Khan is ok. Does not have many dialogues. Did not like his role much. Isn’t this time he stops doing painter roles and roles where he is the quiet guy. We have seen enough of that in taare zameen par and ghajini. Aamir deserves better. The girl playing yasmin (kriti malhotra) is excellent. The most real character which actually makes you feel how she is feeling. Her video letters just touch your heart, especially towards the end.
Although the film bears resemblance to ‘wake up Sid’. Both having photography and Mumbai as their principal themes, dhobi ghaat manages to evoke the right emotions in you. The background tunes gel well with the emotions of the scene. Special mention to the cinematography. Amazing shots of Mumbai, none of which seem fake. So real. Long time since I had seen such cinematography. Hats off!!
Now to the cons. The abrupt ending is the biggest flaw. One wants to know what happened next and all we see is to find ourselves staring at the black screen. Some other flaws are if prateik’s family is so poor in the movie, how he manages to watch Salman khan “disasters’ like yuvraaj and hello in the multiplex? And it feels a little weird why Monica dogra comes so close to prateik, who’s just her dhobi. And the old lady’s sadness remained a mystery till the end.
The start is little boring, specially the amir khan scenes. But once Monica and prateik meet, the film takes you in its flow. Kiran rao definitely had her vision right. Liked the film. Give your eyes a treat. You certainly won’t be disappointed. Not the best, still easily one of the finest movies the year will see.
My rating - ***
