Review: Watch 'Dhobi Ghat' for its characters, and their stories

Film: Dhobi Ghat
Director: Kiran Rao
Cast: Prateik, Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra and Aamir Khan
Rating: ****

Dhobi Ghat, like all Aamir Khan films, comes with a certain amount of marketing baggage attached to it. This time, Khan wants us to believe the film isn’t for ‘everyone’, but for those who enjoy world cinema, or arthouse cinema.

To an extent, Khan may have a point. Dhobi Ghat isn’t your typical Hindi film. But then, lately we have been watching supposedly ‘different’ films being churned out by our filmmakers, every now and then. Think LSD, or Udaan.

I don’t know if Dhobi Ghat is ‘arthouse’ or ‘non-mainstream’ or ‘world’ cinema. What I can tell you is this – it’s a damn good movie. Kiran Rao makes an assured debut as filmmaker and narrates a sensitive story bereft of hyperbole and drama.

The plot isn’t of prime importance, the characters are. And Rao fleshes each of them out with astute understanding and makes them come alive in a way that you’re drawn to them, slowly but surely.

Long after you’ve watched Dhobi Ghat, you’ll remember little traits of each character – Arun’s complete lack of ability to fit in a world he doesn’t understand, or doesn’t care to understand; Yasmin’s contagious enthusiasm at wanting to communicate with a loved one, and her loneliness; Shai’s meaningless obsession with a man who may never reciprocate her love, and her eagerness to explore a new city; and Munna’s aspirations, coupled with an innocence that’s endearing.

Rao uses her actors – they are puppets in her show – to draw you in and experience all their myriad emotions. So you can’t but laugh at Munna’s insistence to get his photoshoot – he’s a dhobi aspiring to be a filmstar, and idolises Salman Khan – done in a studio, instead of getting an outdoor shoot done.

Or feel sorry for Arun when he finds out the truth about Yasmin, the only person he’s emotionally involved with, even though their mode of communication isn’t exactly normal.

These are flawed people, but they are real too. And the drama in the plot arises from their interactions with each other. But it’s subtle, like everyday life. Yet, in the 95 minutes that it plays – uninterrupted – Dhobi Ghat makes an impact.

In the end, the film leaves you slightly moved, mildly entertained, and surely satiated as an audience who wants to be told an interesting story.

Every member of Rao’s team deserves credit – art, cinematography, editing etc. You can’t imagine the film without the lilting background score by Gustavo Santolalla and be assured that the tune’s going to be stuck in your head for a long time after.

Prateik, in his second film since Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and first in a prominent role, fits the bill perfectly. It remains to be seen how the actor will perform in more complex roles in future, but for someone so new, he manages to impress with another seemingly natural performance.

The question, though, is – was Aamir Khan, with that little bit of grey in his hair, really required to be cast in the role of Arun? Aamir puts in a great performance, no doubt, and brings in years of experience to play a complex role with aplomb, but in a film where everything else seems so raw – and therein lies its beauty – you wonder how things would have been without the star’s presence.

Dhobi Ghat, though, belongs to the women. Both the female actors – Monica Dogra as Shai, the investment banker with a heart of a hippie, and Kriti Malhotra as Yasmin, are refreshingly real and blend in their screen personas effortlessly. The casting director truly deserves a pat on the back for bringing them on board.

Then there’s your ‘fifth character’ – Mumbai (another marketing pitch?). And it’s beautiful through the eyes of the migrants – the film’s characters, and the director herself – with the melancholy intact.

Watch Dhobi Ghat without expectations, or preconceived notions. Let the film take over for an hour and a half of your life. Debutant director Kiran Rao’s done a pretty good job of it.