Dhobi Ghat (film)

Dhobi Ghat
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Kiran Rao
Produced by	Aamir Khan Kiran Rao
Story by	Kiran Rao
Starring	Aamir Khan Prateik Babbar Monica Dogra Kriti Malhotra
Music by	Gustavo Santaolalla
Cinematography	Tushar Kanti Ray
Editing by	Nishant Radhakrishnan
Distributed by	Aamir Khan Productions
Release date(s)	September 2010 (2010-09) (TIFF) 21 January 2011 (2011-01-21) (India)[1]
Running time	95 minutes[2]
Country	India
Language	Hindi English
Budget	10 crore (US$2.03 million)[3]
Box office	14 crore (US$2.84 million)[4]

Dhobi Ghat (Hindi: धोबी घाट), (also known as Mumbai Diaries) is a 2010 Hindi drama film directed by Kiran Rao in her directorial debut. The film stars Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar, Monica Dogra, and Kriti Malhotra and is produced under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions.^[5][6] Aamir Khan plays one of the lead roles in the movie as a painter.^[1] Gustavo Santaolalla was signed to compose the score and soundtrack of the film, which includes a song by Ryuichi Sakamoto.^[7]

Dhobi Ghat had its world premiere in September 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival.^[8] It was released in cinemas on 21 January 2011.

Plot

The film begins with a woman shooting what appears to be an amateur video while riding in a car through Mumbai. In the next scene, Arun (Aamir Khan), a reclusive artist, is looking for a new residence. He is seen with a real-estate agent, and finally decides upon a run-down flat in the older part of Mumbai. Arun is introduced to his landlady, an old woman who refuses to speak and who seems to harbour deep sadness.

Later, Arun attends an exhibition of his works. Attending the exhibition with a mutual friend is Shai (Monica Dogra), an American investment banker who is on sabbatical from her work and has come to Mumbai to research traditional occupations, business prospects in South Asia and to generally devote time to her hobby, photography. There, she meets Arun and the two get along well. Arun takes Shai to his flat, where they have a one-night stand. The next morning, Arun expresses his disinterest in any ongoing relationship and Shai gets angry and storms out of the apartment.

Just after Shai leaves, Munna (Prateik Babbar) delivers Arun's laundry. Munna is a dhobi, a washerman, who dreams about getting a break in Bollywood as an actor. He is a migrant from Bihar, and lives in a slum near the railway tracks. Arun informs Munna that he will be moving to a new residence.

The next day, Arun moves into his new apartment. While he is unpacking his things into the cupboards, he finds a small container that had been left by the previous tenants of the apartment. He finds a silver chain, a ring and three video tapes. The tapes are labeled "First Letter", "Second Letter" and "Third Letter" by Yasmin Noor. In the evening, Arun plays a part of the first letter. The tapes turn out to be video diaries in which Yasmin communicates with her brother (as in the opening of the movie). In the tape, Yasmin is generally happy, and shows herself, her husband and her apartment, which is the same as the one Arun is occupying now, only in much better condition that Arun originally found it in.

The next morning, Arun is informed by his manager, Vatsala (Kitu Gidwani), that his work has received praise from art dealers, who have decided to open a gallery in Sydney featuring his works. Arun is surprised and pleased by the opportunity to have his works featured internationally. This would also gives him a chance to visit his ex-wife and children, who have settled in Australia. He begins work on a new painting.

It turns out that Munna also delivers laundry to Shai's house. Their first meeting is not friendly because of Shai's bad mood over Arun, but she tries to make up for it later when she sees Munna with some of his friends at a movie theater. Munna agrees to show Shai around the city of Mumbai, and help her gather photographs about the occupations of the poor. In return, Shai agrees to shoot a portfolio of Munna to help him get into the film industry.

As the film progresses, Arun sees more and more of Yasmin's tapes and learns about her life. It is revealed that Yasmin is from Uttar Pradesh, and has recently married a man who seems distant.

Shai finds out that Munna also delivers laundry to Arun, and obtains his new address from him. One night, she goes to the road where Arun lives, but remains in her car to see if Arun comes out. She reveals to an accompanying friend that she hasn't completely lost interest in Arun, and feels that there is some "unfinished business". Shai wishes to be close to Arun, and so she rents a house opposite to Arun's. Arun, however, is unaware of this.

Arun's painting starts taking shape, and he continues watching Yasmin's tapes. Meanwhile, Munna is still struggling to find work in films. To earn a living, he washes clothes by day and kills rats by night. He disapproves of his brother's petty criminal activity, such as drug dealing, and prefers to have an honest job. However, they are close and Munna's brother uses his underworld contacts to try get Munna a break in the industry. Meanwhile, Munna has been showing Shai the different facets of Mumbai -- labourers, shoe polishers, fish markets, and Dhobi Ghaat, where Munna works as a launderer. As time goes by, Munna develops feelings for Shai but is unable to express them, partly because of his shyness and partly because of his working-class status. Shai's housekeeper also advises Shai to avoid getting involved with Munna.

One day, Shai is walking near Arun's apartment when Arun spots her on the street and invites her to his house. He apologizes to Shai about their first meeting. At that moment, Munna arrives to deliver the laundry and sees them together. Feeling betrayed, he rushes off. Shai chases after him and persuades him to keep helping her with her project.

On the day when Munna and his brother are to visit the film producer, a man arrives and tells Munna's brother that the "boss" has asked him for dinner, and may offer a promotion. There is a veiled threat in the proposition, signalling that this was not a request. They scrap their plans, and Munna goes off to his rat-killing job, which thus far in the film has been referred to only as Munna's "dirty job." Meanwhile, Shai has found someone else to introduce her to the world of nighttime rat killers and she unexpectedly finds herself taking pictures of Munna at work. Dismayed at being found out, Munna flees from Shai.

Arun watches the final video left by Yasmin. Her tone has changed considerably since the previous tape, in which she revealed learning that her husband was engaged in an extramarital affair. She states that she has tried her best and gives their parents her regards, strongly indicating that she intended to commit suicide. Arun is shaken by the knowledge that Yasmin might have hanged herself in that very room and flees the apartment.

Munna arrives home to find that his brother has been killed. According to the gang members present, he had been caught in a crossfire, but Munna believes that he was sacrificed as a patsy to ease tensions with a rival gang. Under the direction of his brother's gang, Munna and his family relocate to a flat in the Jogeshwari neighbourhood of Mumbai. Munna visits his brother's contact in the film industry to show him his portfolio of portraits and asks for some kind of job that would help him support his family.

Once settled in his new apartment, Arun studies the painting he has been working on, which is now complete. Yasmin is prominently featured along with other things she had left behind.

Shortly thereafter, Shai finds Munna at the dhobi ghat and Munna again tries to flee her, but he stumbles into another dhobi, allowing Shai to catch up with him. Munna tells Shai of his brother's death, and Shai insists upon their friendship. She asks about Arun's whereabouts, but Munna, still stinging, tells her that he might have gone to Australia to be reunited with his ex-wife and children. They exchange an abrupt farewell before Shai returns to her car.

Moments later, Munna changes his mind and starts running after Shai's car, weaving through the chaotic traffic. The film ends when Munna catches up to the car and gives Shai Arun's new address.

Cast

• Aamir Khan as Arun
• Prateik Babbar as Munna
• Monica Dogra as Shai
• Kriti Malhotra as Yasmin
• Kitu Gidwani as Vatsala
• Nafisa Khan as Amma

Music

• "Stranger Lives" - Gustavo Santaolalla (7:33)
• "You With Me" - Ryuichi Sakamoto (6:45)
• "Ghat Kaisi" - Monica Dogra and Gustavo Santaolalla (3:12) (composed by Gustavo Santaolalla and Aamir Khan)

All of the songs were only included in the film. No soundtrack of Dhobi Ghat was released in the market.^[9]

Production

Mumbaikar dhobis at work in the Mahalaxmi area

In an interview, Rao expressed that the film was meant to be a tribute to Mumbai and that she sought to reveal other sides of the city not often portrayed.^[10] The film was shot in Mumbai using "guerilla" techniques.^[11] Due to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, shooting was delayed when, citing safety concerns, the government denied Rao permission to shoot scenes at a railway station.^[6] According to the director, Mumbai is the "fifth character" in Dhobi Ghat.^[12]

The movie was shot at skycrapers under construction, Mohammed Ali markets, sea facing bunglows at Worli, Dhobi Ghat at Mahalaxmi, Chowpatty and Marine Drive. No special sets were constructed to shoot the movie.^[13] The movie was released in 2 versions. The original version is around 40% English, while the second version has all dialogue dubbed in Hindi.^[14]

Rapid Eye Movies, a German distributor bought the rights for the film's theatrical release in Germany.^[15]

Reception

Critical response

Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 88%, with an average score of 6.9/10, and awarded their "certified fresh" seal of approval. Blessy Chettiar, film critic of Daily News and Analysis wrote, "With Dhobi Ghat, Kiran Rao finally gives Mumbai a film that represents its true hues and tints."^[16] Mathures Paul of The Statesman gave the film four stars out of five noting that, "Dhobi Ghat is part atmospheric portrait, part video diary that has enough heart-breaking moments you don’t want to watch. But neither can you look away".^[17] Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph compared Dhobi Ghat with Satyajit Ray's Charulata in the way that the five characters, including Mumbai, operate like a string quintet.^[18] Mayank Shekhar of the Hindustan Times gave the film three and a half stars stating, "Bombay, is the centre of this film’s attention. It’s probably the only city in the world where so many classes so closely merge into a common river of sorrows, beauty or hope: unaware of how each affects the other every day. This film is first-rate tribute; it’s visceral, I realize -- both clichés for compliments. Nothing more appropriate comes to mind."^[19] Anupama Chopra of NDTV gave the film three stars, stating, "If you are willing to have patience, Dhobi Ghat comes together nicely. It has a poetry and melancholy that stays with you."^[20]"Dhobi Ghat is a Poetry on Canvas!" said Swati Deogire of The ILIKE Times giving it a 3.5/5"^[21] Gaurav Malani of India Times Movies gave the film two stars, stating "Dhobi Ghat is a pretentious attempt at producing an arthouse piece". The reviewer sums up the movie as "being dull, dreary and disappointing!".^[22] Kunal Guha of Yahoo! India Movies found the film to be undeserving of undivided (break-free) audience attention. He states that "despite the aimlessly drifting script, the performances definitely deserve a mention".^[23] Bhawana Somaaya Senior Editor of Ticket Please gave the film a five stars out of five, stating that "Rao portrays the drudgery and the magnificence of the city in unforgettable imageries" she also says that "There is no doubting that Dhobi Ghat is amongst the most significant films in the history of Indian cinema" ^[24]

Box Office

Though an art film, Dhobi Ghat with the star power of Aamir Khan was expected to rake in substantial gross collections worldwide after the humongous success of Ghajini and 3 Idiots^[25]. However the film did not fare well with 14 crores domestic gross, and $102,076 overseas gross^[26]. It was declared as "below average" by Box Office India, on the contrary others argue that the movie made profits despite its offbeat theme.^[27]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Aamir turns a painter in Dhobighat". Hindustan Times. 2 January 2010. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Aamir-turns-a-painter-in-Dhobighat/H1-Article1-492984.aspx. Retrieved 19 January 2010. 
2. ^ "Dhobi ghat". DT Cinemas. http://www.dt-cinemas.com/synopsis.asp?eid=ET00005670. Retrieved 2011-02-01. 
3. ^ "Dhobi Ghat Box-Office: Rs. 9.25 Crore In 1st Weekend". Koimoi.com. http://www.koimoi.com/box-office/bollywood-box-office/dhobi-ghat-box-office-rs-9-25-crore-in-1st-weekend. Retrieved 2011-01-30. 
4. ^ "Dhobi Ghat Second Week Territorial Breakdown". Boxofficeindia.com. http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=2507&nCat=box_office_news. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
5. ^ Aamir delays wife Kiran's Dhobi Ghaat
6. ^ ^{a b} Sonal Chawla (23 February 2009). "Aamir Khan's wife Kiran Rao's directorial debut, Dhobi Ghaat's shoot stuck". Mid-Day. http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2009/feb/230209-Dhobi-Ghaat-Kiran-Rao-local-trains-railway-station-Mumbai-terror-attack-Pratiek-Babbar.htm. Retrieved 19 January 2010. 
7. ^ Denise Sullivan (May 13, 2011). "What Makes A Legend: Ryuichi Sakamoto". Crawdaddy!. http://www.crawdaddy.com/index.php/2011/05/13/what-makes-a-legend-ryuichi-sakamoto/. Retrieved 2011-05-31. 
8. ^ "Kiran Rao's 'Dhobi Ghat' to be premiered at Toronto fest". Indiatimes. 28 July 2010. http://movies.indiatimes.com/news-gossip/news/Kiran-Raos-Dhobi-Ghat-to-be-premiered-at-Toronto-fest/articleshow/6226950.cms. Retrieved 31 July 2010. 
9. ^ ""I don't think Dhobi Ghat will appeal to traditional Indian audiences" - Aamir". Bollywood Hungama. http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2011/01/20/7031/index.html. Retrieved 21 January 2011. 
10. ^ "Multimedia Cityscape: interview with Dhobi Ghat's Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan". Asia Pacific Arts. 2011-01-21. http://www.asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?multimedia_cityscape_interview_with_dhobi_ghats_kiran_rao_and_aamir_khan_16299.aspx. 
11. ^ Sanjukta Shamra (24 July 2010). "Aamir Khan: The box-office economist". Mint. http://www.sawfnews.com/Bollywood/64754.aspx. Retrieved 31 July 2010. 
12. ^ "Mumbai is the fifth character in my film, says Kiran Rao". Indian Express. 1 December 2010. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mumbai-is-the-fifth-character-in-my-film-sa/718518/. Retrieved 30 January 2011. 
13. ^ "Mumbai is the Fifth Character in Dhobi Ghat: Kiran Rao". Outlook India. 1 December 2010. http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?703245. Retrieved 21 January 2011. 
14. ^ Pooja Pillai (25 December 2010). "Two thumbs up". Indian Express. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/two-thumbs-up/729251/2. 
15. ^ "Dhobi Ghat to release in Germany". Ticket Please News Desk. http://ticketplease.com/news/bollywood_movie/story/Dhobi_Ghat_to_release_in_Germany.aspx. Retrieved 2011-02-18. 
16. ^ "Despite refreshing performances, Dhobi Ghat is a letdown". DNA. http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/review_review-despite-refreshing-performances-dhobi-ghat-is-a-letdown_1497248. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
17. ^ "Intimate divides". The Statesman. http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=356456&catid=47. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
18. ^ Gupta, Pratim D.. "Salaam Mumbai". The Telegraph. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110122/jsp/entertainment/story_13477408.jsp. Retrieved 24 January 2011. 
19. ^ "Review: Dhobi Ghat". The Hindustan Times. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Mayank-Shekhar-s-Review-Dhobi-Ghat/Article1-653088.aspx. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
20. ^ "Review: Dhobi Ghat". NDTV. http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_Review.aspx?id=590. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
21. ^ A Poetry on Canvas
22. ^ "Dhobi Ghat: Movie Review". The Economic Times. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/dhobi-ghat-movie-review/articleshow/7332870.cm. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
23. ^ "Dhobi Ghat Review". Yahoo! India Movies. http://in.movies.yahoo.com/movies/Dhobi-Ghat/reviewdetails-1214.html. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
24. ^ "Dhobi Ghat Review: Dhobi Ghat is unforgettable". Ticket Please News Desk. http://ticketplease.com/review/bollywood_movie/story/Dhobi_Ghat_is_unforgettable.aspx. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
25. ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/aamir-khans-3-idiots-becomes-bollywoods-biggest-grosser-1859492.html
26. ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=dhobighat.htm
27. ^ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/media/entertainment-/entertainment/dhobi-ghat-made-double-the-money-it-had-cost-aamir/articleshow/7417571.cms

External links

• Official website
• Dhobi Ghat at the Internet Movie Database