***Xclusive*** 1st Movie Review of Dhobi Ghat

By Filmicafe.com, 10 September 2010

Raising a glass of bubbly, Aamir Khan says "To Mumbai – my muse, my whore, my beloved." The statement he makes in this one dialogue sums up the film in one breath.

It's important to get one thing straight right at the start; Dhobi Ghat is NOT an Aamir Khan film - it is a Kiran Rao film first frame to last. Now that we've got that cleared up let's get on with my two cents on the film.

Marking the directorial debut of Kiran Rao, Dhobi Ghat is the tale of four lives – Shai (Monica Dogra), the affluent investment banker on sabbatical, Arun (Aamir Khan) the reclusive painter, Zohaib alias Munna (Prateik Babbar) the starry eyed 'wannabe hero' Dhobi and Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra) the innocently hopeful newlywed; intertwined into one story, the story of Mumbai – its loud noises, its harrowing silences and the space in between.

The film gets its name from Mumbai's Dhobi Ghat, a hustling and bustling landmark and the city's laundry district; where everyday before sunrise the work of cleaning, washing, drying of clothes brought from all over the city starts and is carried on until the sun sets. It is a common ground of sorts, where workers do the needful to keep Mumbai buzzing - a place for cleansing where all the dirt is washed away with some water and a lot of detergent.

The film has unusual yet fascinating narrative plain, it moves on two tracks simultaneously with the commonality being seeing the world (in this case the city, Mumbai) through another person's eyes. As the intertwined worlds of Shia and Arun come together time and time again with Munna being the common piece Shia, goes from investment banker turned vocational photographer and Arun becomes inspired by and immersed in the world of another – the pages on the calendar keep changing and the city keeps moving - rain or shine.

The score of the film by renowned musician, Gustavo Santaolalla has an enchanting and soothing quality. The camerawork in the film is brilliant - one can feel the rain drops from screen to skin. Dhobi Ghat shows Aamir like never before - in the unfamiliar zone between hero and zero; grey hairs, grey shades and all. Monica Dogra and Prateik Babbar are revelations as they put in good performances of their own.

Soaked in the Mumbai monsoon, the film is a rain drenched salute by director Kiran Rao to the spirit of Mumbai. It's a sensitive, subdued and gentle film that takes a good step and makes a good move for Indian

very difficult to wait for aamir Khan's movie