Decoding Dhobi Ghat (2011)

Movie no 19/100

June 27, 2018

Mumbai has played the muse for a lot of filmmakers over the years. From ‘Life in a Metro’ to ‘Wake Up Sid’, directors have romanced Mumbai, showing its vivid lives and myriad moods. Making her debut as a director, Kiran Rao, also dramatizes the endearing shabbiness of this city and shows it to us through the lives of four starkly different characters, joined by an unexpected connection.

Munna (played by Prateik Babbar) is a slum-dwelling Dhobi (a washerman), who aspires of becoming an actor. To make his dream come true, he works hard, dabbles at odd jobs and works out with his limited resources in his tiny shanty. Among the people that he works for, he is drawn close to a rich NRI Banker, Shai (played by Monica Dogra), who returns to India on a sabbatical, to take up her passion for photography. Shai meets a noted painter, Arun (played by Aamir Khan), at one of his exhibitions. She gets instantly attracted to him, but the recluse that Arun is, he avoids her advances and wishes to concentrate on his search for a new muse. He moves into an old, vintage house, somewhere in the narrow lanes of South Bombay, where he discovers a box forgotten by its previous occupants. The box contains video tapes shot on a handycam, where the narrator seems to be describing her life and Mumbai to her brother, Imran. Through the 3-part videos, the narrator, Yasmin Noor (played by Kriti Malhotra), takes Arun (and the viewers) through her journey in Mumbai, painting an intriguing picture through her narrative. Her story catches the fascination of Arun and his next piece of art is inspired by Yasmin. The plot seems simple, but a lot of weight and intrigue is added by the way it is penned by Kiran Rao and written for the screen by Anil Mehta.

With a crisp run-time of less than two hours and devoid of any songs, ‘Dhobi Ghat’ is a perfect example of how a sharp and tightly-written story, combined with nuanced performances, make for an engaging watch. The movie has a flat tone of movement – always unidirectional helping us flow along with ease. It is slow, helping the plot to simmer. Sub-plots are underplayed and barely explained, making the viewer invest oneself more. The director beautifully uses Mumbai and its dichotomy to reflect on the blossoming love between Shai and Munna – the skyrises and the slums cannot converge.  Also, a special mention of the superb camerawork by Tushar Kanti Ray, for his beautiful shots of the protagonists and for capturing Mumbai in all its glory. The background score by Academy Award winner, Gustavo Santaolalla, is haunting and evocative (Though it sounded like a piece of background score from Dil Chahta Hai). I also liked how every character finds their muse in the other. Yasmin becomes Arun’s muse and he turns it into art. Shai becomes Munna’s fascination and he develops feelings for her. Shai is drawn to the reclusive introvert in Arun. As complicated as it sounds, Kiran Rao does not let this become a love triangle. The characters are real; hence they are grey, and they are believably selfish.

Aamir as the lost, mysterious introvert painter is very underplayed. He has a tinge of his character from Ghajini, but remains understated in his performance throughout. Monica Dogra is perfect as the NRI, getting everything from the accent to the emotions right. She slightly falters in emoting her emotional dilemma related to Munna, but still manages to be convincing. Prateik Babbar, burdened by the colossal expectation of matching up to his mother’s craft and skills, is adorable and plays his role as a slum-dweller with conviction. Looking at his work lately, I feel he deserves better scripts and better directors who can get the best out of him, like Kiran Rao. But, the most interesting character that builds your interest in the narrative is Yasmin, played beautifully by Kriti Malhotra. She barely has a couple of scenes in the movie, but through her voice as the narrator in the home-videos, the viewer develops a deep bond with her. The only other character that created such an impact without being visible in a single frame was Bharti Achrekar in The Lunchbox as Deshpande Aunty. Kriti, through her voice and limited screen presence, leaves the same impact. Her final video leaves Arun, and the viewers, dumbfounded.

Dhobi Ghat is not a regular Bollywood movie and caters only to the niche audience, who in India are called ‘Art film lovers’, but it makes for an interesting and engrossing watch even for any regular multiplex cinemagoer.